Let Me Love You
by RunningInThePouringRain
Summary: AU/AH. Klaus gets released from prison after five years and the only thing on his mind is the girl he told to move on, Caroline. Things have changed, Caroline has changed while Klaus was inside and now he has to fight to get his family back. Will he be able to with his past trying to pull him back in?
1. Chapter 1

Let Me Love You.

Disclaimer: I own nothing because if I did Klaroline would be the centre of the show and would be travelling the world together!

We guys I promised you a multi chapter fic and I am delivering, I hope you enjoy and stay tuned with it because it's a helluva ride!

/

"Niklaus Mikaelson, time to go."

Klaus' eyes snapped open at the gruff sound of the guard's voice bringing him out of his inner thoughts of blonde hair and bright eyes. His own eyes settled on the man in question on the other side of the iron bars. Klaus couldn't help the little smirk on his face as the guard slipped a key into the lock on his cell, opening the door wide.

He was free. After five long years staring at the same four grey walls Klaus Mikaelson was once again a free man.

Klaus slid from his seat on his bunk with ease, feeling better to be in his regular attire of jeans and a Henley rather than that starch orange jumpsuit that had been assigned to him when he first arrived. He gave the guard a little nod as he stepped out of his cell, letting the guard direct him out of the prison in silence.

It wasn't until Klaus was out of the prison gates and back onto the street that he allowed himself a moment of elation. Prison had been hell but he guessed that shouldn't have phased him, after all, he was one of the worst in there.

He took his time as he walked down the street, his eyes taking in everything. Five years was a long time yet everything still looked the same. The same shops, the same cars, the same arguments. They were such trivial things to notice and normally Klaus wouldn't care about them in the slightest but after years of doing the same thing over and over again he found himself craving the simplicity of normal life.

He hadn't seen his family in five years.

He hadn't seen _her_ in five years.

It was his own fault really, it was his actions that led him here. Klaus knew that his criminal activities were bound to draw attention at some point. He had too much power in this city for him to go unnoticed. He started off small, little offences as a teenagers in a way of acting out against his abusive father. Then he got into dealing armed weapons and suddenly things escalated beyond his control. Klaus sold weapons to anyone that could pay, most of his clients coming from overseas, and as his jobs grew so did his empire. Just before he got arrested Klaus Mikaelson was a well feared name in Chicago, he practically ran the criminal side of the city along with his right hand man, Marcel. Of course, he didn't get to rule the city without getting his hands dirty along the way. Klaus had killed people, he even treated it as a form of art at one time, ripping them apart for their betrayal like they were nothing more than paper. To him, he supposed, they were.

Then he met her. Then he fell in love Caroline Forbes, a beautiful woman with big dreams and suddenly his business didn't mean that much to him anymore. She was stunning and fierce and passionate, she could knock him down with a look and he loved it. Klaus wanted to give her the world and love her like no one else ever did. She had this way of bringing out a side of him Klaus had long since forgotten and as much as he wanted to her hate for it, he couldn't. She got under his skin and into his heart and he knew she would be his downfall.

How naïve of him to think loving Caroline would save him from his actions.

He told her everything one night, blurted the whole thing out because he couldn't lie to her, not when he genuinely cared about her. Klaus thought she would run, look at him with disgust and call him a monster. He was one, after all.

She promised to stay with him and Klaus didn't think he could love her more. Caroline was his support after his arrest, her smile the hope he clung through during his trial.

Then he got his sentence. Five years in prison for dealing weapons on the black market. It should have been 12 but the evidence was circumstantial at best and Elijah was a good lawyer. That didn't change the facts, and five years was a long time. Elijah and Caroline came to visit him in prison and it was then he knew he had to walk away. He was a criminal, a thief, a killer whereas she was perfect and full of light. She deserved better than to be tainted by him.

"_You need to move on, Caroline. You need to forget about me." Klaus said, his eyes focused on the table between them._

_Caroline shook her head softly, "What are you talking about, Klaus? You'll be out soon, everything will be okay."_

"_I'm a bad man, Caroline. You can do so much better."_

_He could hear the tears in her voice this time and screwed his eyes shut to block out the pain he felt in his chest, "I love you, Klaus. I need you, this is crazy. Who you are doesn't matter to me, you know that." She insisted, moving her head down to meet his eyes. _

"_I don't want to see you anymore." He said, keeping his voice hard. It would kill her and she would hate him for it but it was for the best. Guys like him didn't get girls like her. "We're over, Caroline. Move on and forget about me."_

"_Klaus don't…"_

"_I'll destroy you, Caroline. I will take everything good about you and ruin it until one day you wake up and you're exactly like me." He said bitterly, ignoring the tears in his eyes. Instead he looked at hers, tears rolling down her cheeks. He would give anything to be able to wipe them away with his thumb. "So do yourself a favour and leave!" _

"_Is that really what you want?" Her voice was soft and he barely heard it. _

_He looked her dead in the eye, pushing away every feeling he ever had for her, "Yes." He said strongly, "I want you to leave and never come back."_

_She was out the door before he could blink. _

Klaus swore he would never forget the look on her face as he metaphorically ripped out her heart along with his own. He hated himself for lying to her, it was the one thing he promised to never do but he was doing it for her.

He didn't want her to spend the next five years waiting for him.

Klaus refused to see her after that, Caroline sent him several visiting orders but he didn't reply back to any of them. He knew one look into her beautiful blue orbs would have him crumbling and begging for her forgiveness. The only visiting order he accepted was one from Elijah a week after he broke up with Caroline, he had to ask his brother for one more favour.

"_You're an idiot, Niklaus." Was Elijah's greeting as he sat down opposite Klaus. He was wearing his usual three piece suit, neatly pressed and looked the exact opposite of Klaus who had barely gotten any sleep over the past week, his orange jumpsuit contrasting vividly against Elijah's black attire. _

"_I did the right thing." Klaus insisted. _

"_The right thing for who?" Elijah argued back, "Not for Caroline that's for sure. Rebekah said the girl is a mess, not eating or sleeping."_

"_She will get over me, Elijah. She will move on and be happy. You have always said I am no good for her, I thought you would be glad to hear you were right." Klaus said bitterly, his heart tightening uncomfortable at the thought of Caroline becoming ill because of him. She wouldn't though, she was strong and independent and Klaus knew her well. She would be angry and hurt for a while, but then she would throw herself into her life again refusing to let him get to her anymore. _

"_She was good for you." Elijah said simply. _

_Klaus smiled then, "she was the best thing to ever happen to me, brother, and that is why I have to let her go." He shifted in his seat, leaning across the table with his hands flat on the surface, "I need you to look after her."_

"_You made this mess, now I have to clean it up?" Elijah asked, leaning forward as well. _

"_I need to know she is safe and looked after, Elijah. I just…" he trailed off looking for the right word, "I need her to be safe. I love her, more than anything."_

_Elijah didn't say anything for a moment, studying Klaus' features intensely, whatever he saw there was enough for him to nod his head, "I will look after her, Niklaus, you have my word."_

_Klaus nodded, "Thank you." He moved a hand through his hair before he spoke again, "I won't be accepting visiting requests from anyone after today. I don't want Rebekah here, she'll only worry."_

"_If you continue to push your family out you will be left with nothing."_

"_Maybe that's what I deserve?" _

_Elijah raised an eyebrow at him, "Stop punishing yourself, Niklaus. No one deserves to be alone."_

Klaus knew he had no right to ask Elijah to do that but he had to know she was safe. He might have let her go but he would never stop loving her, even now. He couldn't.

That's why his first stop was her apartment building. Klaus didn't even realise he was heading in that direction until he saw her street come into view, her black door staring him in the face like a kick to the chest. He needed to see her yet he knew he had no right to. He needed to know she was safe and happy and then maybe he could finally let her go.

Klaus was out there for hours watching her apartment, the sky darkened around him and rain started to fall as he sat on the steps of her apartment, his mind filled with the bubbly blonde who stole his heart.

She wasn't there. He waited and long after the rain had soaked his clothes he discovered she didn't live there anymore. Klaus had asked an old lady coming from the apartment block and she told him Caroline had moved out years ago. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised, he told her to move on so he should be happy that she was doing just that. It's not like she knew he would look for her, Klaus didn't tell anyone he was being released and even if he had he couldn't expect Caroline to greet him with a smile and call him an idiot, not after everything he did to her.

He stayed out there for another hour, reminiscing. Her apartment held some special times for them and Klaus felt like this was his way of mourning their relationship. While he was inside he thought of Caroline non-stop, she kept him grounded and he needed that, he needed her. The first time he told her he loved her was in that apartment, the first time he painted her was in her bedroom on the first floor on a rainy Tuesday morning, the day she gave him a key to her home was the day he realised how lucky he was to have her.

Eventually the rain made him shiver, his hair plastered to his forehead and he knew he had to leave. He didn't belong here, not anymore. Klaus gave her apartment one last look before forcing himself to move from those steps, walking towards his own home on autopilot. He made one stop on the way to an off-license, a bottle of scotch clutched to his hand as he exited the store. Klaus was only thankful his wallet was returned to him when he left prison because god did he need a drink.

The alcohol burned his throat as he took methodical sips from it on the walk home. That was nothing compared to the pain in his chest when he thought about Caroline.

/

Tah-dah! First chapter is here! Thoughts/feelings?

Please review! Continuing this story is down to you guys, if you want more I will write it! Thank you!

Next chapter: Caroline's POV and what she has been up to for the past five years.

Favourite line/scene?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey everyone, I cannot believe the amount of reviews, favourites and follows I got for the first chapter! Seriously? You guys are amazing and I hope you stick with this story and me for the journey! Here is the next chapter and an insight into Caroline! Enjoy!

/

Caroline sighed as she drew the curtains across the dark sky, blocking the city lights from view of the cosy room. She tucked a loose curl behind her ear that had escaped her messy bun before the thudding sound of little feet from behind her caused her to turn around. Her little boy came barrelling into the bedroom, his dirty blonde curls flapping slightly.

"Mommy! I brushed my teeth just like you told me to." The little boy exclaimed excitedly as he came to a stop in front of her, his cheeks slightly red from running.

Caroline laughed and ruffled his curls, "Let's see then."

He grinned wide at her, his teeth on full display as he bared them for Caroline to see. She made a show of inspecting them carefully before placing a quick kiss to his cheek, "Very clean, Liam." She complimented and the boy smiled proudly.

"Uncle 'Lijah said it's important to clean them every day." Liam informed her, his eyes bright like he was sharing a great secret.

"Well, Uncle Elijah is very smart so you should listen to him." Caroline smiled as she lifted him into her arms, "But right now, it's time for bed."

Liam wrapped his arms around her neck as Caroline carried him to his bed, tucking the covers around him before giving him his stuffed animal that she knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without. It was a ratty thing Rebekah had given him as a baby but Liam loved it. It was a grey wolf with yellow eyes.

"What story will it be tonight, little man?" She asked Liam softly as she perched next to him on the bed, Caroline's fingers running through the dirty blonde curls that reminded her so much of his father.

"Will you tell me the one about daddy?" Liam asked as he gazed up at her with his stormy blue eyes.

Klaus' stormy blue eyes.

"Don't you know it off by heart yet?" Caroline chuckled, it was Liam's favourite story and she retold it at least 3 times a week. Caroline made the decision when she found out she was pregnant that she wanted her child to know about their father. She loved Klaus, and despite how things ended she always would. She wanted Liam to know the man she had fallen in love with. Elijah and Rebekah supported that decision and told Liam tales of his father when the little boy asked.

"I like the way you tell it, mommy." He replied simply and Caroline smiled. Liam was four now and the spitting image of Klaus. He was mischievous like him too and had his dimples. Rebekah said he would grow up to be a little heartbreaker and Caroline hoped she was wrong. She didn't want to think about Liam hurting someone the way Klaus hurt her one day. Yet there were days when he did something or gave her a look that made her heart clench because of how much like his father he was. He had her nose and complexion though along with her fierce attitude and stubbornness.

She never told Liam the truth about Klaus being in prison though, he was only a boy and he wouldn't understand until he was older so she simply said Klaus was busy working away from home. Caroline told Elijah that when Klaus was out of prison if he wanted to know Liam she didn't want to stop him but she didn't want him to feel obliged either. Right now he didn't even know Liam existed, Caroline only found out she was pregnant after Klaus broke up with her and he refused to see her afterwards so she didn't get the chance to tell him. She tried to apply for visiting orders but Klaus never agreed and after a while she gave up trying, if he wanted to be a jerk than that was his loss. She had a baby to raise, his baby and that was difficult enough as it was without trying to reach out to him if all he wanted to do was push her away.

_She was sat on the tiled floor of the bathroom in her tiny apartment, boxes and tissues surrounding her as she sat with her back against the tub. Her eyes were glued to the little white stick in her hand, the other hand on her stomach in shock. Her mind was spinning and Caroline honestly couldn't focus on anything other than the little plus sign staring back at her on the stick. _

_Klaus' baby. _

_She was having Klaus' baby. _

_It wasn't meant to be like this. Klaus didn't want her anymore and she was still in school, working towards her law degree. She couldn't do this alone, she was a student with little money and a part-time job waiting tables. To make matters worse, the father of her child was in prison for dealing illegal weaponry and didn't want anything to do with her. _

_This was not the fairy-tale ending she pictured as a little girl. _

_Yet there was someone about this baby. Klaus' baby. She would always love him, even when she hated him and Caroline knew she already loved their child. It was a surprise to say the least, she hadn't been feeling well for some time but what with breaking up with the man she loved Caroline wasn't exactly keeping healthy. For a long time she put her illness down to stress and the fact she was barely eating or sleeping. It wasn't until that morning when she worked out dates in her head that she managed to get out of bed and make a frantic dash to the drugstore. _

_Elijah found her in that same position an hour later when he came to check on her. Both him and Rebekah had taken to making sure she was okay after Klaus broke up with her and Caroline appreciated the thought from his siblings. _

_She didn't hear Elijah knocking so she figured he must have let himself in, her door was open after all. She didn't even notice him until his expensive shoes came into her view, his face following as he crouched down in front of her._

"_Caroline?" he asked softly like he was trying not to startle her. _

_The blonde snapped her head up to meet his eyes, tears rolling down her face. Wordlessly she handed him the stick in her hands, watching as his confused expression turned into shock as he stared at her for confirmation._

"_I'm pregnant." She whispered, it was the first time she had said it out loud, "Oh God, Elijah, what do I do. I can't… I don't…" Her sobs cut her off. _

_Elijah shifted was he was sitting next to her with his back against the bath and in any other situation Caroline would laugh at Elijah in his Italian suit sitting on her bathroom floor. He wrapped an arm around her tightly as she broke down, her head buried into his shoulder. _

"_It's going to be okay, Caroline. You have us."_

Elijah was a man of his word, both him and Rebekah were supportive of her and helped her in any way they could. Caroline would never to able to express how grateful she was to both of them. Elijah paid her medical bills and Rebekah came with her to every appointment.

The hard work was only just starting though as things got difficult after Liam was born. Caroline was close to graduating and Elijah encouraged her to do so, he even offered her a job with him at Mikaelson and Associates when she finished her studies. The problem was taking care of a baby was expensive as well as childcare costs and her rent on top of that.

Elijah came over one night after she had just put Liam down and told her she was to moving in with him at their family home and he wouldn't take no for an answer. Caroline refused at first, she was a single mom and didn't need hand outs, not to mention how awkward it would be to move into Klaus' home. To stay in his room and raise their child while he was serving time in prison. Elijah insisted she was family and it would be better for Liam to be around his auntie and uncle more. Caroline knew he was right, having Liam grow up with a family that loved him was all she wanted and it would be easier for her to finish her studies and support them both.

Liam was asleep before Caroline finished telling him another story about Klaus, this time it was about how they met, the memories were always painful for her to relive but the look of wonderment on Liam's face as he learnt something new about his father was worth the little niggle in her chest. She kissed his forehead gently before making her away out of his bedroom, flicking the light off as she went.

Caroline trudged down the stairs sluggishly, exhaustion overwhelming her as it always did this time of night. Being a full time mom and a full time lawyer was stressful after all. She found Elijah in the living room, the suit of his jacket thrown over a chair with his shirt sleeves rolled up, his tie loosen around his neck. Rebekah was staying with whatever guy she was spending time with this week in her apartment on the other side of the city, Caroline respected the fact she didn't bring them around Liam.

"Is the little trouble maker asleep?" Elijah asked with a smile as he handed Caroline a glass of wine.

Caroline let out a sigh, flopping onto the couch next to him before taking the offered glass, "Yep, I'm really sorry about your suit."

"Don't worry about it, Caroline. He's a four year old little boy, they tend to be messy at the best of times." Elijah responded.

"He painted your several hundred dollar suit with green spots, Elijah." Caroline reminded him as she sipped her wine, tucking her feet underneath her.

Elijah laughed, "He gets more like Niklaus every day."

"What a trouble magnetic?" She laughed.

"Artistic." Elijah supplied, "Liam drew me a picture to stick up in the office this morning. I've never seen a blue cat before but I stuck it up with the rest of them. Damon admired it greatly."

"How's his case going? He should have had a verdict today." Caroline asked thinking about the case Damon had been working on for the past couple of months.

"Not guilty. Damon is out celebrating as we speak." Elijah informed her and Caroline laughed. Nothing new there.

"Seriously? I thought the prosecution had that one all sown up. The evidence was pretty damning."

"You know Damon, he will never take a case he can't win." Elijah said as he sipped his wine, "How's your new intern working out?"

"Jesse." Caroline said, "He's a fast learner and good with the clients. I think he will do just fine. Damon doesn't like him much."

"Damon doesn't like anyone much."

They smiled at that, Damon Salvatore wasn't exactly the friendliest person in their office. He was however a partner in Elijah's law firm and a really good lawyer. He graduated top of his class and was ruthless in a court room. Caroline was glad he was on their side because she would hate to go up against him.

The sound of knocking interrupted their conversation as three harsh knocks sounded throughout the room. Caroline frowned as Elijah got up to answer it.

"Who's that?" She asked as she placed her wine back on the table, not sure if Elijah was expecting anyone.

"I have no idea." He said as he walked towards the door. Caroline moved forward to listen into the conversation.

She heard Elijah open the door and then… nothing. Silence. She was just about to get up when she heard Elijah speak again. The one word from his mouth causing her to freeze in her spot on the couch, her eyes growing wide as her heart pounded in her chest like a machine gun.

"Niklaus?"

/

Just what to make it very clear that this is NOT a Carlijah fic! I like the idea of a friendship between them but nothing more because Caroline is meant for Klaus and Elijah is meant for Katherine!

Thoughts/feelings?

Please review! They mean the world to me and make me update faster!

Favourite line/scene? I know some of you weren't expecting a baby angle but that was how I originally wrote this story and I have everything planned out so stick with it. Next chapter we see Klaus and Caroline interaction and another flashback.

Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: WOW! Your review blown me away and every time I read one I smile like a loon! So THANK YOU! Also thanks to everyone who favourited and followed this story! I am so glad you all love it and are happy with the direction, stay tuned for more because this is only the beginning.

Enjoy it!

/

"Niklaus." Elijah's voice sounded out through the hallway, his eyes locked on Klaus' blue eyes from where he stood in the doorway. "I didn't know you were being released."

Klaus gave Elijah a furious gaze, "Evidently considering you are entertaining the love of my life." He sneered distastefully. Klaus knew he had no right to come back and cause a fight but he saw Elijah and Caroline through the window as he walked up the porch he saw red, an irrational stab of jealously coursing through him.

He told Caroline to move on but not with his brother of all people.

"You have it wrong…" Klaus cut Elijah off before he even finished talking. He pushed past Elijah, making sure to knock his shoulder with his own as he entered the living room.

His eyes met Caroline's the moment he saw her, the overwhelming need to take her in his arms after everything bubbling to the surface. Klaus could make out the tears glassing over her eyes. He always hated it when she cried. Nothing should have the right to hurt such a beautiful woman, especially not him.

She was still as beautiful as he remembered, his dreams over the past five years didn't do her justice. Caroline's hair was a bit longer now but she still had her curls that Klaus loved to run through his fingers while they were in bed together. Her blue orbs seemed to shine as she stared at him, her pink lips parted slightly. Klaus wanted to kiss her in that moment, cover her mouth with his own like they belonged together.

God he had missed her.

He still wanted her.

"Klaus." That one word from her lips was enough for him to regret his earlier treatment of Elijah, "You're back." Her tone was one of disbelief, like she wasn't sure if she would ever see him again. That thought cut Klaus deeper than he'd like to admit.

"Don't let me stop you, love. Clearly you have moved onto my brother." He knew he was out of line but he would never be able to accept a betrayal like that. He refused to let Caroline see how much she still affected him.

"It's not what you think it is." Caroline protested as she took a small step closer to him.

Klaus took a step back, "I get it, Caroline. I told you to move on, I just didn't think you would be bedding my brother." He laughed bitterly, "How long was I gone before you changed from my room to his?"

"Niklaus, that's enough!" Elijah ordered as he stepped into the room besides Klaus.

Caroline shook her head gently, "Elijah, would you give us a moment?" She asked politely, her eyes pleading with Elijah to trust her.

He looked sceptical at first but relented with a nod, the tension between Caroline and Klaus was unmistakable. Klaus' eyes remained on Elijah as he walked out of them room, disappearing up the stairs.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Caroline demanded, bringing Klaus' attention back to her, "You don't get to come back here after five years where you refused to see me and start playing the jealous boyfriend."

Klaus squared his shoulders, "Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you started screwing Elijah."

Caroline's response was to slap him across the cheek. Hard. It happened so fast Klaus didn't even have time to stop her, the anger burning behind her eyes said it all, "I haven't been sleeping with Elijah or anyone else since you for that matter!"

Klaus faltered then, his cheek stung from Caroline's slap and he knew he deserved it, "What?"

"You heard me." She replied, "I should have moved on. I should have listened to you but I couldn't."

"But you're here, in my house. I went to your apartment and they said you moved out." Klaus looked at her, his mind trying to make sense of the information she had just told him.

"I lost my apartment a few years ago, I couldn't afford the rent. Elijah let me stay here because he couldn't see me homeless." Caroline explained, "And you answer you're next question. I am still in your room."

Klaus froze, the guilt raging through him, "I'm sorry I…" He never said it often and he hoped Caroline would understand the significance of saying it now.

"Don't you dare." Caroline cut in, "Just for the record, you are the one who broke up with me, you broke my heart. You were the one that left me so don't you dare accuse me of betraying you."

"You're right, Caroline. This mess is down to me."

"Do you have any idea how hard it was for me? You don't understand half the things I have been through." Caroline sighed, looking down at the floor instead of him, "How much I missed you."

"I missed you too, sweetheart. You have no idea how much. I thought of you every day." Klaus replied, taking a step towards the woman in front of him.

"You didn't let me visit. I tried but you never agreed." She said and Klaus could hear her voice breaking.

His eyes softened as they caught hers again, "I didn't want you to waste your life on me, Caroline."

"You never did understand how much I loved you." Caroline said shaking her head, "These five years have been so hard, Klaus. I needed you and you pushed me out."

Klaus swallowed thickly, "I did it because I love you, Caroline. I was trying to do what was best for you."

"Well you don't know what's best for me." Caroline said curtly, "In fact if it wasn't for Elijah I don't know what I would have done. You had no right to come in here and treat him like that."

"The noble Elijah to the rescue." Klaus said bitterly.

"He was here, Klaus. You weren't." That statement cut him deep. "We need to talk, there are things you need to know." She continued.

He always loved her fierce personality yet there was something else in her tone that made him worry. A hint of sadness maybe? Whatever it was had Klaus nodding his head once, all his previous anger dissipating as he watched Caroline moved over to the couch.

"Tell me." The words rolled round his tongue, coming out softly in the small room. He wanted to know everything he had missed, he wanted to be the one that knew her better than anyone again. He wanted her back, he wanted them back. Klaus took a seat next to her, his eyes never leaving Caroline's face as she took a deep breath.

"After you were sentenced I was a wreck, Klaus. I didn't eat or sleep." Caroline said quietly, she didn't met his eyes and Klaus hated the small gap of distance between them on the couch, "After we broke up it got worse. I was sick constantly and I passed it off as stress."

Klaus hated that he caused that, his self-loathing increasing at the thought of him hurting someone as pure as Caroline, "But you're okay, now?"

"Yeah, it turns out I wasn't actually ill." Caroline said with a nervous laugh. Klaus didn't know where she was going with this but it seemed important.

It looked like she was about to say something else but the sound of a small voice coming into the room and rushing into Caroline's arms cut off the conversation. Klaus' eyes were glued on the little boy in her arms with dirty blond hair and blue eyes much like his own. Klaus' heart pounding in his chest as he connected the dots.

"Liam, what's wrong?" Caroline asked the little boy softly as she pulled him into her lap, her fingers running through his hair. She caught Klaus' eyes briefly before focusing on Liam.

"I had a bad dream, mommy. Uncle 'Lijah doesn't tuck me in right." The little boy replied sleepily, clutching a stuffed wolf to his chest.

Caroline laughed and kissed Liam's forehead, "Why don't you go up and get settled and I will be up in a minute?"

Liam nodded as he climbed off her lap, rubbing his eyes with a fist. It was then he noticed Klaus, "You have hair like mine!" He said excitedly as he pointed to Klaus' hair.

Klaus chuckled, breaking out of his frozen state, "Yeah, I guess so." He replied.

"Mom says I have my daddy's hair."

That statement was like a slap in the face. Liam gave him a shy smile before climbing up the stairs with his cuddly wolf in his arms.

Klaus was off the couch in seconds, pacing in front of Caroline as he ran a hand through his hair. Caroline's eyes were on him, tracking his movements as Klaus paced.

"Klaus?" her voice was gentle, almost pleading.

"Is he mine?"

"I didn't mean for…"

Klaus cut her off, "Is he my son, Caroline?"

"Yes." It was barely a whisper from her lips.

It felt like the world stopped spinning. Everything freezing in place.

He had a son.

A little boy with his blue eyes.

"Klaus?" It was Caroline's voice that brought him back, the concern clear in her tone as she gripped his arm tightly.

"That's what you needed to tell me." Klaus said mostly to himself, "That I left you with my child."

There was a single tear at the corner of her eye and she gave him a watery smile, "He's name is Liam Henrik Mikaelson. He's four and a little troublemaker."

Klaus chuckled at the last part, catching a picture of the boy on the table that he didn't notice before.

"Caroline…" He trailed off, not even sure what to say. Caroline used her grip on his arm to steer him back to the couch so they were both sitting down.

"I wanted to tell you, Klaus. I tried to tell you."

"That's why you sent so many visiting orders." He realised and Caroline nodded.

What sort of man was he? Not only did he get locked up and pushed everyone out of his life that he loved. He left the woman he loved to raise his child alone.

"I'm sorry." He said with emotion as his eyes met hers, "God, Caroline…"

"I know we never talked about kids and I understand if you don't want to see him."

Klaus shot that down straight away, "Of course I want to see him. He's my son." He sighed, "I have no idea how to be a father."

Caroline smiled then, "You will be a great father, Klaus. Just be the man I fell in love with."

He smirked at her then before running a hand through his hair, "I never meant to leave you with a child, Caroline. I never wanted you to raise our son by yourself."

"I had help. Elijah and Rebekah have been brilliant. I got my degree and Elijah gave me a job with him." Caroline explained.

"It should have been me."

"You're here now."

Klaus grabbed her hand then, "I am never leaving you again, sweetheart." He caught a stray tear on her cheek with his thumb but Caroline pulled away from his grasp softly.

"I need to get Liam settled." She said standing up and Klaus couldn't help but think she was trying to put more distance between them, "Can we wait to tell him about this for a bit? I just don't want to overwhelm him."

Klaus always knew when she was lying, "You think I'm going to leave again."

"It's not that…"

"You can't lie to me, Caroline. You never could."

"I just need to be sure. Last time wrecked me and I can't put Liam through that. He is my focus right now and you've only been back for an hour." Caroline insisted.

"I didn't want to leave you the first time. I won't make the same mistake twice, love." Klaus vowed.

Caroline nodded once as she tucked some hair behind her hair, making her way to the stairs, "We're going to be okay, right?"

Klaus smiled then, a glimpse of the Caroline he knew, "We are going to be more than okay."

He was going to make sure of it because he wanted this. He wanted her back and he wanted his family. _Their_ family.

/

So what did you think? Thoughts/feelings?

This is going to be a slow burn guys, Caroline would be accepting Klaus back that easily, you will learn more over the next few chapters!

Please review! They make me smile and keep me updating! It's the best thing on a bad day and a way to spread the Klaroline love!

Thank you!

Next chapter: We get a flashback on how Caroline and Klaus met and another Klaroline conversation!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello fellow Klaroliners! Thanks for all the reviews and support! Your comments were so lovely and encouraging and I want to thank you all.

New chapter is here, I know people were eager for the flashback so I hope you like it! Enjoy, sweethearts!

/

Caroline didn't sleep a wink. She crawled under the covers of her bed at round midnight after practically running out of the living room and away from Klaus but she couldn't switch her mind off. Her thoughts drifted to Klaus and Liam and what everything meant now that Klaus was back. He said he wanted to get to know his son and Caroline was happy because all she ever wanted was for Liam to know his father. Yet at the same time there was something in his words and a slight edge to his actions that had her thinking he wanted more than that, especially from her.

That thought scared her more than anything. It was hard, so unbelievably hard not to reach out and touch him, map the lines of his body that she use to know better than her own. He was Klaus and Caroline had to force down ever memory she had of him that came bubbling to the forefront of her mind, pretending he wasn't responsible for the woman she had grown to be. She wanted to kiss him and slap him at the same time but that was nothing new, he had always infuriated her.

This time was different, this time she had Liam to think about and she wouldn't get caught up in this game. Her heart couldn't take it no matter how much it may want it.

Klaus had always had that effect on her, right from the first moment they met. He was sexy and imposing and he made her feel like she was the only person on the planet to him. They were electric together and just the thought of it made her shiver beneath the covers.

_Caroline was sitting at her usual booth in her local coffee shop, it's where she went to do all her work now a days. Her flatmate was the party type and even though it was late in the morning Caroline knew there would still be a loud gathering in the flat. So she had taken to packing up her books first thing in the morning, sitting in the coffee shop with a large expresso until she had to go to her lectures. _

_She had books on Law opened up, scattered around the already cluttered table. Her notebook was open, pen in her hand as she scribbled furiously. Her blonde hair was escaping her bun, falling around her face as she worked. Caroline was so engrossed in the task at hand she didn't even notice the man staring at her from his spot at the counter. His blue eyes were locked onto her from the minute he walked in and saw her. _

_Caroline wasn't even aware of his presence until he slid into the booth opposite her, causing the blonde to look up from her notebook. He was handsome with his dirty blonde curls, a teasing amount of stubble covering his jaw and stormy blue eyes that were trained on her. He was wearing a grey suit with a light blue tie knotted at his neck. Caroline couldn't help but notice how out of place he looked next to her in her ripped blue jeans and scruffy converses. He gave her a small smirk._

"_Hello." Caroline said questioningly to break the silence. "Can I help you with something?"_

_He chuckled slightly, "I'm sorry, it's just you're so beautiful I had to come and talk to you." His accent alone killed her. Was it even possible for someone to sound that sexy?_

"_Seriously?" Caroline laughed, "That's what you call flirting?" _

"_Yeah, I don't flirt." He smiled, "You'll have to let me acquit myself."_

"_You'll have to work for it. I'm pretty busy." _

"_Law?" He questioned as he scanned the title of the nearest book, "My brother's a lawyer. He recently set up his own firm. What is your specialism?" _

_Caroline smiled and pointed to the book on her left, "Criminal Law. Defence is my strongest field at the minute." She said as she placed her pen down, "Are you a lawyer too?"_

_He laughed at that, "No," he paused slightly, "I can't say I have much interest in rules or laws."_

"_My mom is a small town cop so I guess it sort of runs in the family." Caroline replied. _

"_I'm the black sheep in my family," he smirked, "We have lawyers, police officers and my brother, Kol is a private investigator."_

"_So what do you do?" _

"_I'm a business man. Import, export, that kind of stuff." He said with a wave of his hand, "But enough about me. I want to talk about you."_

_Caroline laughed and she knew she was blushing, "Why?"_

"_I want to get to know you. Your hopes, dreams, everything you want in life."_

"_You don't even know my name," She reminded him._

"_So tell me." He smiled. _

_Caroline bit her lip for a moment before responding, "Caroline. Caroline Forbes."_

_He reached his hand out for her to take, "I'm Klaus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Caroline." Her name rolled off his tongue as Caroline took his hand. Instead of shaking though Klaus brought it up to his lips to kiss the back of it. _

"_So why don't you let me buy you a coffee?" He offered and the look he shot her had her smiling like a fool. _

"_What's in it for you?"_

"_If coffee goes well, maybe dinner?" He proposed and Caroline laughed._

"_Just for the record, I'm too smart to be seduced by you." She told him._

_Klaus smirked, "Well, that's why I like you."_

He took her to dinner three days after the coffee incident and things escalated from there. If only she knew then she would be here now. The covers were tangled around her body and she must have tried every position she could think of to try and get some sleep last night but none came.

Liam came running into her bedroom a few seconds later, jumping onto the bed with a giggle.

"Mommy, time to wake up!" He laughed as he crawled over to her.

Caroline smiled and sat up slowly, "Already?" she asked playfully as she ruffled his hair.

"I'm hungry." The little boy commented.

"We better feed you then." Caroline replied knowing she had to get ready for work and to drop Liam off at preschool.

"Jam on toast!" Liam exclaimed excitedly as he jumped off the bed and Caroline had to smile at his energy in the mornings.

She followed him down to the kitchen as she wrapped a robe around her frame, Liam's feet pounding on the floor as he ran through the house ahead of her. By the time Caroline got to the kitchen he was already scrambling himself into a seat at the breakfast island.

Caroline poured him some orange juice in a plastic cup before setting to work on popping the bread into the toaster and grabbing the jam from the cupboard. She was spreading the jam on the toast when Klaus entered the kitchen, she could tell from his face he didn't get much sleep either.

"Hey, you were here yesterday!" Liam pointed out as Caroline placed his breakfast in front of him.

Klaus chuckled, "Yes I was." He looked over at Caroline, wanting to know how she wanted to play this. She shook her head gently.

"I'm Nik." Klaus introduced, reading her face. He sat down next to Liam with a smile.

"I'm Liam." The little boy mirrored as he grabbed some toast, taking a bit.

"Klaus is Uncle Elijah's brother." Caroline explained.

"You don't look like Uncle 'Lijah." Liam commented causing Klaus to laugh.

"I guess I don't, mate."

Caroline smiled slightly at the interaction between the father and son. "Right, little man. We have to get you ready for school after breakfast."

"School's boring." Liam frowned at the table with a huff.

"I hated school," Klaus told him, "But when you grow up you will be thankful for it."

Elijah walked into the kitchen, his eyes taking in the scene before him. He shot Caroline a look and Klaus could see her nod slightly. He couldn't help the little niggle of jealously tugging at his chest at the action.

"How's the artist this morning?" Elijah asked as he poked Liam's side playfully. Klaus was taken back to this side of Elijah. It was one he only ever saw when they were children.

"I'mma paint a monkey today, Uncle 'Lijah!"

Elijah chuckled, "What colour?"

"Green." Liam stated matter-of-factly as he finished his toast.

"Well, I can't wait to see this masterpiece."

Liam turned to Klaus then, "Mommy and Uncle 'Lijah say I'm an artist just like my daddy."

Klaus looked at Caroline for a moment, a ghost of a smile on his face, "I'm sure he will be very proud of you, mate."

"He is working away and mommy doesn't know when he will be home." Klaus ignored the pain in his chest at the tone of Liam's voice. He wanted nothing more than to scoop the boy up and tell him everything.

"I bet he will be home soon, mate." Klaus promised and Liam smiled brightly at him.

Caroline quickly ushered Liam out of the kitchen after Klaus' promise, not wanting him to get his hopes up. Things with Klaus were a mess right now and she hadn't gotten the chance to talk to him about their situation and where they go now. She didn't want to confuse or disturb Liam until she had all the details herself.

Elijah and Klaus watched the pair leave before the brothers turned to look at each other. Elijah busied himself with making a black coffee as was his usual routine before work. Klaus was still sat at the breakfast bar, his eyes on Elijah.

"I can sense your judgement from here." Klaus drawled out causing Elijah to turn and look at him.

He sighed quietly, "Not Judgement." He corrected, "I just don't want to see them hurt. She has come a long way from the girl you knew."

"You don't think I see that." Klaus replied, "I see the strong, fierce, beautiful woman she is now. She has always been that to me, Elijah. You know the depth of my feelings for her."

"That's the problem. You threw that away, Niklaus. Any hope you had with Caroline ended the day you broke up with her. There is Liam to consider now, he needs stability." Elijah said as he poured water into his mug, grabbing a spoon to stir.

"I want her back." Klaus sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I love her, even after five years, I still love her."

"You need to listen to what she wants." Elijah reminded him as he placed the spoon down, "What you did to her nearly destroyed her."

"You think I wanted this to happen? That I wanted to miss my son growing up? That I wanted to break her heart." Klaus demanded, his anger peaking at the statement.

"I think your life is dangerous. I think you need to understand how badly you hurt her. I won't let you hurt that girl twice, Niklaus. She doesn't deserve that."

"I wouldn't hurt her or Liam. You have my word."

Elijah sipped his coffee, "Make sure you don't." he said before striding out of the kitchen, leaving Klaus alone with his thoughts.

/

Caroline didn't see Klaus again until she popped home at lunchtime to grab some papers she had forgotten that morning in her haste not to be late for work. He was sitting in the living room with a sketch pad in his hand and she smiled at the familiar sight. He would often sketch in his free time, sitting for hours working on a piece until he considered it perfect.

Klaus sensed her presence before she spoke, "You don't have to stand in the doorway, love."

Caroline jumped slightly as his accented voice reached her ears, "You still sketch."

"I didn't get a lot of time to work on things in prison so my skills are a bit rusty but it's not like I have a job to go to." Klaus smirked as he placed the sketchpad down, making sure Caroline couldn't see his latest work.

He gestured for her to sit down next to him and Caroline gave him a small smile before perching herself down at the opposite end of the couch, her hands smoothing out the navy blue material of her business dress.

"Thank you for earlier." She commented, "I just think we should wait to tell Liam you're his dad until we sort stuff out. We didn't get much time to talk last night."

Klaus nodded, "We do need to talk about everything, Caroline."

"I need to know what you're plans are. Are you going back to arms dealing? I know Marcel is running things now but I know you. You liked having an empire, Klaus."

"Caroline," Klaus sighed, shifting closer to her slightly, "My plans are you. You and Liam. I am not going to do anything that will take me away from my family, sweetheart. Marcel is welcome to my 'empire', it's nothing compared to the family you gave me." He sighed, "I'm just sorry I wasn't there to share it with you."

Caroline smiled shyly, "I was thinking about moving out." She admitted gently, "You are going to need your room back and I have the finances now to get a place for me and Liam. I just think it might be easier for us if we tried this thing without the added complication of living together."

"We practically lived together before." Klaus pointed out, "This is your home, Caroline. Liam is settled here. I don't want you to move out."

"What about…"

Klaus cut her off, "Liam would benefit from having both parents under the same roof, love. Don't leave, not when I just got you back."

"At least take your old room back." Caroline insisted, "I will move into a spare one."

"I wouldn't be able to sleep in that room without thinking of you." Klaus said softly, "Without thinking about us."

Caroline nodded mutely, "We need to talk about that too." She sighed, ignoring the bubble of excitement inside her at his words. She wouldn't do this, she wouldn't fall back into him. She was Caroline Forbes, she was strong.

Klaus frowned at her slightly, "Caroline…"

"Liam needs a dad, Klaus. You have to be a father to him, now. He needs you and you need to focus on him." Caroline said, her eyes meeting his stormy ones as she fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

"I will, Caroline. He is my son and I want nothing more than to make up for the time I wasn't there for him." Klaus replied, the determination in his voice strong, "I missed out on a lot but I will always be here for him, for both of you." He vowed. "I'm here to stay, love, you need to believe that."

Caroline paused, she wanted to but everything she knew told her not to, "You need to show me. I know you, I know how your life works and I won't put Liam in the middle of that."

"I'm done with that life, Caroline. The only life I want is the one with you and our son. Why do you think I am sat here in the middle of the day instead of being out looking for Marcel? I don't want to be that man anymore. I want to be the man I was with you, the one you fell in love with." Klaus replied.

"You can't say things like that, Klaus. Liam is the priority, I just can't…" she trailed off, tears threatening to fall as she looked away from his gaze.

Klaus grabbed her hand then, his voice soft, "I'm not giving up on us, sweetheart. If I have to fight to get you back then that's what I will do. I promise you that."

Caroline didn't say anything as she rose from the couch hoping to put some distance between them, "I have to get back to work."

Klaus nodded, not wanting to push her any more than he had already, "Have a good day, love." It was so domestic, reminding them both of happier times when he dropped her off after she spent the night at his place with a kiss.

"Bye, Nik."

That one word from her lips made him smile. That's what she use to call him, the word sounding like heaven from her tongue after all these years. That one word giving him hope that all wasn't lost.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Please review! They keep me motivated and honestly they make my day!

Thank you!

Next chapter we will see some Klaus/Liam bonding and we are introduced to a few new characters! Stay tuned!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey everyone! New chapter! Thanks for all the comments and reviews last time, they made my day! I hope you like this update, things are moving along now!

Enjoy!

/

"Don't tell me you are going back to the office now?" Klaus said as Elijah put on his thick black coat over his suit. It was dark out, nearly eight in the evening on a Friday. Klaus knew Elijah was dedicated to his job but surely even he must take time off on occasion.

Caroline laughed then from her spot on the couch, looking up from the notes in her lap. Klaus had to admire her own dedication to her clients. "He does this every Friday night. Never explains where he is going just there he has paperwork to do."

"Being a lawyer is demanding, Caroline, as you well know." Elijah pointed out with a sigh as he reached through his pockets for his keys.

"Yeah but how much paperwork do you have that keeps you at the office late every Friday? Even Damon stays on top of his paperwork and that's his least favourite part of the job." She replied as she settled further into the couch. Things were getting better now, it had only been a few days but Liam had quickly warmed up to Klaus and Caroline was thankful he hadn't pushed the thought of them getting back together anymore after that first conversation. Klaus always knew when to push her and when to give her space.

"I can't believe you work with Damon Salvatore now." Klaus mused, "Especially considering Stefan is more into my line of work."

"I think that's why Damon went into defence, actually." Caroline replied, "To help keep Stefan out of trouble."

Klaus chuckled, "The Ripper has quite a reputation in certain circles."

"Well why you reminisce about past criminal activities I shall be getting some proper work done." Elijah cut in, his eyes scanning the room for his keys.

"They are on the table." Caroline pointed to him, smiling as Elijah retrieved the items in question. "Seriously though Elijah, what do you do? I've seen your case load, the paperwork is minimal."

"I think he buys more suits." Klaus teased with a smirk causing Caroline to laugh.

"Liam thinks he fights crime like Spiderman."

"I'll see you children later." Elijah scowled, "Tell Liam I said 'Goodnight'". He finished before disappearing out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

"He's isn't doing paperwork, is he?" Caroline asked.

Klaus chuckled, "Probably not."

/

Klaus woke up early the next morning, sunlight streaming in through the gap in his curtains. He had moved into one of the spare rooms in the house, near to Liam's. The last three days he had spent getting to know his son were amazing, Liam was a clever little boy with a lot of energy and Klaus found himself smiling every time he noticed Caroline or himself in the boy. They had never talked about having children, with his criminal activities and her law degree it wasn't a conventional thing to think about but Liam Henrik Mikaelson was perfect. Klaus beamed with pride every time he saw his son and he knew then that he wouldn't want a child with anyone else but Caroline.

He was only sorry for the way it happened, the consequences she had to suffer while he was inside. He knew he would spend the rest of his life making it up to Caroline, and to Liam. He could only pray it was enough.

Klaus got out of bed quickly, throwing on a grey Henley over his pyjama pants with a yawn as he made his way downstairs to make a coffee. Caroline was probably still asleep and he wasn't even sure if Elijah came home last night or if he was still at the office.

He waited for the kettle to boil as he fixed himself a cup of coffee, stirring the contents as a beeping sound came from the table. Klaus frowned slightly before reaching out for his phone. It was the old one he had before he got released from prison, his eyes softened slightly at the image of him and Caroline on the menu screen.

His face hardened quickly as he read the message though.

**Heard the Hybrid was out. I think it's about time we had a catch up. Usual place. Marcel. **

Klaus knew Marcel would find out about his release soon enough, he just wasn't expecting him to be in contact so quickly. Klaus sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. If he didn't go then Marcel would just seek him out, Caroline mentioned that Marcel had taken over the business from Klaus after his arrest and Klaus knew his protégé craved the power that came from running the city.

He was pulled out of his musings by the sight of Liam walking into the kitchen, his stuffed wolf under one arm, wearing his pyjamas.

"Hey, mate." Klaus greeted with a smile, throwing the phone on the kitchen counter.

"Is mommy up yet?" He asked tiredly, his hair in disarray on his head.

"Not yet, but I'll make you some breakfast if you like?" Klaus suggested, eager to spend more time with his son.

Liam nodded, "Okay, Nik."

"How does pancakes sound?"

Liam's stormy blue eyes lit up, "Blueberry ones are my favourite."

"Mine too." Klaus smiled as he got to work.

He found all the ingredients he needed in the kitchen and got Liam to help him stir the batter before cooking the pancakes, making sure to add extra blueberries. He was just plating up the pancakes when Caroline walked into the kitchen, already dressed in a business suit for work. She smiled at the sight before her.

"What are you two up to?" She asked, moving over to the fridge to pour herself a glass of orange juice.

"Nik made pancakes, they are really yummy!" Liam said around a mouthful of pancake.

Caroline smiled, "Yeah, he does make the best pancakes." She said thinking back to the many breakfasts in bed Klaus brought her, pancakes were his speciality dish.

"I think your mom has me beaten on the baking front. Her brownies are to die for." Klaus smiled as he tucked into his own pancake.

"Why would you die for them?" Liam asked curiously causing both of his parents to laugh.

"It's just an expression, Kiddo." Caroline explained.

"It means they are really yummy." Klaus added poking the little boy's side causing him to laugh.

"We have to get you dressed, Liam. Auntie 'Bekah will be here soon." Caroline reminded him.

Liam smiled widely, "Is she taking me to school today?" he asked before climbing off his seat, "I drew her a picture!" he finished as he raced out of the room eagerly.

Caroline and Klaus stared after him for a moment before he raced back into the room clutching a piece of paper behind his back.

"I drew one for you too, Nik." He stated proudly as he held the paper out to him. Klaus took it, a smile on his face. It was of a tiger with a large face coloured in orange with black pieces on it.

"That's brilliant, Liam." Klaus commented, "I think I will keep this in my wallet."

Liam's smile grew bigger as he left the room to brush his teeth.

"He likes you, you know." Caroline smiled, "He is normally shy around new people but with you… he seems comfortable, happy."

"We're family, love, that's how it's meant to be." Klaus reminded her.

"I know, it's just nice to see." She replied as she walked out of the room to help Liam get ready for school.

It was only a little while later that Rebekah arrived, Klaus opened the door to her with a smile and the blonde immediately flew at him.

"Nik!" She squealed happily as she wrapped him in a tight hug. Klaus chuckled and returned her hug.

"Hello, Rebekah."

She pulled back to slap his arm, "You've been out for three days and I only just find out now?" She demanded, "Not to mention all that crap about none of us being allow to visit you in prison. We need to talk about that!"

"I've missed you too, little sister." He smirked.

"I have missed you." She admitted, "I still think you're an arse."

Klaus chuckled then and the pair were interrupted by the sound of Liam calling Rebekah's name. She smiled and opened her arms up as Liam raced into them.

"Auntie 'Bekah!" Liam shouted happily.

Rebekah smiled, "How is my favourite little guy doing today?"

"Okay." He smiled, "Nik made pancakes!"

Rebekah looked over at Klaus briefly with confusion before returning her attention to Liam, "Well we better get you to school, Liam. I have a present for you in the car."

Liam clapped his hands together before running to the car parked on the drive.

"He calls you Nik?" She asked, "Wait, you do know Liam is your…"

"I know he's my son, Rebekah. He just doesn't know it yet. Caroline doesn't want to tell him until we sort everything out and I respect that decision." Klaus replied.

Rebekah scowled slightly, "Fine, but we need to talk soon, properly." She insisted.

Klaus nodded briefly before waving her and Liam off as Rebekah drove away. Marcel's message was still turning over in his mind as he shut the front door behind them.

/

"Here he is!" Marcel stated with glee, "The Hybrid has come home."

Klaus didn't say anything as he walked further into the room that use to be his office down by the docks in an old warehouse. It was a convenient location for his work, the docks were secluded and he could monitor the shipments of weapons that were travelling overseas. He wanted to be anywhere but here but he knew seeing Marcel again was evitable and he would rather it be on his own terms.

Marcel walked over to him, pulling him in for a hug. Klaus stiffly returned it, one hand patting his back awkwardly.

"I was told you took over." Klaus said, "Thought I would make sure you aren't running it into the ground."

Marcel chuckled then, "I always liked your sense of humour." He said, "But as you can see the place is still standing. I was just keeping things running until you got out."

"We both know you like the feeling of power too much to step aside for me. You've done a good job here, perhaps its better left in your capable hands." Klaus suggested with a coy smile as he walked around the room he use to know like the back of his hand. His eyes stopped on the sleek black desk in the middle of the office. Images of Caroline spread across it as he made love to her flashing through his mind.

"I was thinking we could be equal partners this time." Marcel replied, "I've just secured a new job, a big shipment for a guy named Silas. If we pull this off it means big money."

"But of course, the greater the job, the greater the risks. The police must be watching this place closely after my arrest. Draw to much attention and things are going to get ugly, Marcellus." Klaus pointed out.

"Think of the power we would get from this job, Klaus. No one would dare challenge us again, we'd be back on top running this city. I need you to help me do that, you're the Hybrid after all. People fear that name."

Klaus sighed knowing he had to be blunt, "I'm done."

"You're done?" Marcel asked in equal disbelief and confusion.

"I can't do this anymore, Marcel. I don't want to go on this job and I have no desire to get involved with this again." Klaus said plainly, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. He could feel the picture Liam drew in folded up in his pocket.

Marcel laughed shortly, "Did prison mess with your head?"

"No," Klaus replied, "It gave me a wakeup call. I lost everything that mattered to me because of our business." He sighed running a hand through his hand, "I have a son now, I can't risk going back to jail and missing more of his life."

"Well, I knew you were many things, Klaus, but I never had you down as a coward." Marcel smiled menacingly.

"Don't you dare," Klaus warned in a low tone, "I was the one that picked you up from a gutter. You would be dead if it wasn't for me. I seem to recall a time when you were throwing up as I got my hands dirty, gutting a man for betraying us." He reminded him, "If anyone's a coward, Marcellus, it's you."

Marcel nodded, "We'll see about that but I promise you one thing, Klaus: You'll be back. You will screw up trying to do the right thing and you will be right back here because it doesn't matter how hard you try. You will never be able to wash the blood off your hands."

Klaus grabbed his harshly by the collar, slamming him up against the nearest wall as Marcel laughed, "Once a criminal, always a criminal." He taunted.

"You know what I am capable of so I am only going to say this once. Back off or there might just be some more blood on my hands." Klaus warned as he gave Marcel a shove.

He turned and started walking away, his anger boiling as he heard Marcel call out to him, "I'll see you around, Klaus Mikaelson."

/

Tension! So what did you think? Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! The encourage me to keep writing and I love hearing your thoughts on this story! Thank you!

Next chapter we see some more Rebekah, another Klaroline conversation and another flashback!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey! So new chapter! It's a good one in terms of development – you'll see why. Klaroline might take a little longer but I'm sure you understand why, there are heading in the right direction, Caroline just has a lot to deal with! Big thank you to all the people who reviewed, favourite and followed this story! I am blown away by how popular it is and how much you guys like it and I hope I don't disappoint you!

Enjoy!

/

After his encounter with Marcel all Klaus wanted to do was see Caroline. Towards the end of their relationship he felt like that a lot, she was a constant bubble of light to him and he clung onto that, to her. There were many nights when Klaus came home late after working with Marcel to find Caroline asleep in his bed, a smile would grace his features as he saw her in one of his shirts, her head buried into his pillow. He would normally strip down and climb into bed next to her, enveloping the blonde into his arms tightly. Caroline would stir and shuffle back against him with a smile like she was waiting for him to get home before getting a good night's sleep. Klaus always felt like the luckiest man in the world when she opened her eyes and leaned up to kiss him.

Things were different now though and he knew he couldn't just turn up at her office. Klaus hated the distance between them, the closeness she now had with Elijah and the fact his own son calls him 'Nik'.

Klaus entered the house with a sigh, throwing his keys down on the nearest surface. He put himself in his current position and he knew he had to fix it. Marcel would be a problem but Klaus could handle it, after all he knew things his protégé could only dream of knowing.

He stopped short when he found Rebekah sitting at the island in the kitchen, a mug of coffee in her hands. She had just made it judging by the steam rising from the mug, her eyes meeting his as she heard him approach.

"I was wondering where you got to." She mused, "It's not like you have a job."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "I was merely getting some fresh air, Rebekah."

"I told you we need to talk," She replied, "So I thought doing it while everyone was out was the best thing. Elijah and Caroline probably wouldn't approve of what I am about to tell you."

That peaked Klaus' interest and he sat himself down opposite his sister, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it over the back of his chair, "What are you talking about?"

Rebekah sighed, "I'm talking about Caroline. I'm not an idiot, Nik, I have eyes. I know you still love her."

Klaus frowned, "How could you…"

"The way you look at her, it's written all over your face that you want her back." Rebekah cut in, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I know I don't deserve her, I know I hurt her. I just can't bear the thought of looking at her every day, raising a child with her and having to lie about my feelings." Klaus sighed, "I will do whatever it takes to get her back, Rebekah."

Rebekah nodded once, "I get it, Nik. I just don't think you do. I know Caroline and Elijah said not to tell you but I think you need to understand just how badly you hurt that girl."

"I did it for her, I was trying to protect her." Klaus reasoned, his throat suddenly dry.

"Well you did the opposite," Rebekah replied harshly. They were silent for a moment before she spoke again, "Caroline knew the risks involved with being with you. She knew five years was a long time to wait but after you told her you didn't want to see her again." Rebekah sighed, "You were everything to her, Nik. She trusted you with things she could never tell anyone else and you pushed her away without a proper explanation?"

Klaus grit his teeth together, he didn't want to hear this but he knew he needed too. If he was ever going to get Caroline back he needed to know this. "What happened, Rebekah?"

"It's like she died or something. She refused to see anyone and pretty much locked herself in her flat for weeks. Eventually Elijah and I decided enough was enough and broke in. She wasn't sleeping, she was barely eating. She didn't even cry or get angry about it, she was just… numb." Rebekah explained, her eyes not meeting Klaus'.

Klaus felt like he had being punched in the chest, hating himself more in that moment than ever before, "I knew she would take it badly, I said some horrible things I didn't mean but I swear I did it because I love her."

"I know that but Caroline doesn't." Rebekah replied, "She was still going to her classes and getting her assignments done, it's just she wasn't Caroline anymore. She wasn't happy and bubbly. One day, Elijah went over there to talk to her. I don't know what he said but it worked. She started sleeping a little more and eating properly. Elijah helped her through it, made sure she was doing okay."

"That's why they're so close?" Klaus summarised.

Rebekah nodded, "Elijah saw how bad things were and he wouldn't leave her when she practically begged him to." She clutched her mug tighter in her hands, "Then she found out she was pregnant. She was scared and alone and messed up, yet Liam helped. He was a part of you I guess and that helped her deal with everything, it gave her a reason to move on from losing the love of her life." Rebekah explained, "Slowly she became our Caroline again, Elijah sorted out her medical bills and when Liam was born and her rent got expensive he told her she was moving in here and he wasn't discussing the matter."

"I didn't want this to happen, Rebekah. I never wanted her to bring up our son alone." Klaus said softly.

"She did, and she was amazing. Liam changed her life, she's strong and passionate and one of my closest friends." Rebekah smiled, "She's okay, Nik. She's a fighter."

"She shouldn't have had to be. I was meant to be there." Klaus replied bitterly.

Rebekah grabbed his arm, "You're here now."

"What good is that?" Klaus asked, "My love for her won't change everything she went through. It wouldn't change the fact Liam grew up without his father for four years of his life."

"No, it won't." Rebekah agreed, "But it will mean those five years weren't for nothing."

"I want my family back." His voice was strong and full of conviction and Rebekah smiled.

"Well I would start by telling your son he has a father." She replied, "He asks about you a lot. Caroline tells him stories about you. She wants Liam to know that you leaving wasn't by choice."

"Caroline wants to wait to tell him." Klaus sighed, "I need to show her I am not leaving them again."

"You're Liam's father, he has a right to know!" Rebekah said loudly as she stood up from the table.

A small gasp from the entrance of the kitchen caused them both to turn and face the door. Liam and Caroline were standing there, his face a mixture of confusion and shock. Caroline's eyes fixed on Klaus' face.

"Daddy?" The little boy asked in a meek voice. There were tears in his eyes as he looked from Klaus to Caroline for confirmation.

"Liam…" Caroline started but Liam tore his hand away from hers and ran up the stairs to his room.

"Caroline." Klaus said softly, his eyes saying things he couldn't form into words.

She shook her head, "He shouldn't have found out like that." She said, "This was what I was trying to protect him from."

"He needed to know at some point." Rebekah reasoned, "I would never have blurted it out if I knew you were there. It's the middle of the day, I thought he was at school."

"They sent him home, he's not feeling well," Caroline explained, "It's okay, Rebekah. We'll figure it out."

Klaus frowned, "Is Liam okay?"

"Yeah, he has a temperature. It's the preschool's policy to send him home." Caroline explained, "I think the fact he found his dad is the big shocker right now."

"What do you want to do?" Klaus asked as he walked over to her.

Caroline sighed, "We tell him. I can't lie to his face, Klaus."

Klaus nodded, "Okay, we tell him together."

Caroline smiled gratefully at him as Rebekah spoke, "I'll leave you to it. Call me if you need anything. I am sorry, Caroline."

"It's okay, Rebekah, it wasn't your fault." She smiled at her friend before walking towards Liam's room, Klaus following behind her.

His bedroom door was wide open as they got to his room, the little boy face down on the bed, cuddling his wolf to his chest.

"Liam?" Caroline said gently, walking into his room to sit at the bottom of his bed.

"Come on, mate." Klaus tried, "Talk to us."

Liam shifted so he with sitting crossed legged on his bed, sniffling softly, "You're my dad?" he asked quietly.

Klaus came to kneel down in front of him on the floor, "Yes, I'm your dad."

"We were going to tell you soon. We just wanted to make sure daddy didn't have to leave again before we told you." Caroline said gently.

"You said daddy worked far away and you didn't know when he was coming home." Liam sniffled, his eyes trained on the wolf in his hands.

"That's true, mate. I came home to surprise your mom but I'm back now." Klaus explained, rubbing Liam's arm soothingly.

"Can I call you dad now?"

Klaus chuckled, "I'd like that."

"Are you okay?" Caroline asked and Liam nodded, climbing into her lap for a hug. Caroline returned it with relief.

"So we're a family now?" he asked into her neck.

"We always were a family, Liam." Caroline replied.

"Yeah but dad's here now so we're a proper family."

"Always and forever, Liam. I promise." Klaus replied and the little boy moved from Caroline's arms to wrap himself around Klaus. He was stunned for a moment before hugging the little boy closely, taking comfort in the way Liam clung onto him.

"I think I'm going to like having a dad." He smiled. Klaus said nothing but held him tighter.

/

"Thank you for today." Caroline smiled as Klaus shut the door to Liam's bedroom. The little boy was happily sitting on his bed colouring after his parents had finished talking to him and he was taking everything surprising well. "I don't think I would have been able to do that by myself." She admitted, tucking some hair behind her ear.

Klaus smiled softly, "You won't have to. I'm not leaving you again, Caroline. I can't."

"You promised me always and forever once too, that didn't exactly turn out how I imagined." She smiled sadly at him.

"It doesn't mean it can't happen." Klaus replied, "I still want that, Caroline. I still want you." His eyes were pleading with her own as Caroline wrapped her arms around herself.

"Why? Because I'm so full of light?" She asked, "Because I'm meant to save you from yourself?" She was being defensive and Klaus knew it was because she didn't want to get hurt again.

"You weren't just a light to me, Caroline. You were my whole damn sky."

She gave him a watery smile then, her eyes shining with tears he knew she was trying hard not to spill.

"You don't get to do this to me. You don't get to come back here after five years and tell me you want to be with me again. You can't do this to me, Klaus." Her voice was pleading with him and all he wanted to do was hug her and never let go.

"I needed you to know how I feel, I owe you the truth at the very least." Klaus replied, his voice low.

"I don't know what you want me to do with that. I'm not the same girl you broke up with. I'm a mom and a lawyer and I am trying to raise your son."

Klaus smiled then, "You're an amazing mother, Caroline. Never doubt that, there is no one else in the world I would rather have as the mother of my child."

"I need time, I can't do this with you right now." She wasn't looking at him but her tone said everything.

She started walking away and Klaus let her go knowing better than to push her for more than she was willing to give. It was a start and he would take it.

"I'm not going away, Caroline. If I did it might kill me because I can't imagine my life without you in it."

She stopped walking and turned back to face him shaking her head, "You can't say things like that."

"You told me once to speak from my heart, that's what I'm doing." He replied as he walked past her, the night she told him that flashing through his mind.

_It was their first date and to say Klaus was nervous was an understatement. He didn't do this, he didn't take women out on dates and try to get to know them. Caroline was different, he was drawn to her and he needed to find out more about her. She was smart and beautiful and passionate, she challenged him and he liked that. She knew who she was and what she wanted out of her life. _

_Klaus had taken her to dinner at his favourite Italian restaurant, the pair shared smiles and champagne and by the time their starters arrived Klaus knew he wanted many more dates with her in the future. She wasn't trying to impress him and he liked that, she was being herself and they just clicked. His eyes held hers over the table as they talked and he found himself mesmerised by the beauty before him. _

_They were now walking back through the park, the sky dark above them._

"_I had a really nice time tonight." Caroline smiled, biting her lip slightly. _

_Klaus returned her smile, "As did I, love. So do I get a second date?"_

"_I think I can fit you in my schedule somewhere." She teased as they turned a corner. _

_Caroline shivered slightly in her wrap and Klaus removed his suit jacket, draping it over her shoulders. _

"_Thank you."_

_He grabbed her hand and Caroline intertwined their fingers together, "It's my pleasure."_

_They continued walking for a while, exchanging smiles and questions before Caroline cut in, "Do you know what would make this the perfect date?" _

_Klaus raised an eyebrow at her, "What's that?"_

"_S'mores!" she exclaimed proudly causing Klaus to chuckle. _

_He led her back to his home and Caroline rummaged through his cupboards until she found the ingredients she was looking for. She came back into the living room where Klaus was setting up the fire, placing her items on the coffee table with glee._

"_I can't believe you have never had s'mores before." She smiled as she settled on a couch cushion on the floor. _

"_Well, I am British." Klaus reminded her as he sat down next to her on his own cushion. _

"_Yeah, the accent makes up for the lack of s'mores." She laughed as she grabbed a packet of chocolate digestives and the bag of marshmallows. "You didn't have gram crackers so I improvised."_

_Klaus took the marshmallows from her, placing one on a skewer and hold it over the fire._

"_So my accent is the selling point for you?" Klaus teased as Caroline set up her own marshmallow._

_She laughed, "Your determination is good too." She handed him two biscuits, "Now put the marshmallow between the two and taste it."_

_Klaus did as instructed, placing the marshmallow between the two chocolate sides of the biscuits before taking a bite, "Okay, definitely the best date I've ever had." He smiled as he tasted the s'more._

"_I told you." She replied, constructing her own s'more. _

"_So in all honestly why did you agree to go out with me?" Klaus asked out of curiosity. _

_Caroline smiled, "You spoke from your heart. You told me exactly why you came over to speak to me. I like that. Everyone should do that."_

_Klaus smirked, "You have some marshmallow on your lip."_

_Caroline frowned, trying to lick her lip. Klaus shook his head and smiled reaching out to run his thumb along her bottom lip, removing all traces of marshmallow. _

_She gasped slightly and Klaus' thumb stopped on her bottom lip, his eyes meeting hers. The air around them was electric and his only thought was how much he wanted to kiss her. Her eyes were wide and trained on his, watching for his next move. Klaus glided his thumb down to her chin, pulling her mouth towards his. _

_Their lips met softly, Caroline raising herself up on her knees to kiss him properly. Klaus' hands were on her face as their lips moved against each other's, her mouth soft and warm against his own. Caroline moved closer to him and Klaus' hands moved to her waist to pull her the rest of the way so she was basically in his lap. _

_His tongue ran along her lip, where her own tongue had been a few minutes ago and Caroline lost her balance. Klaus' back hit the floor as she fell on top of him. Both of them broke the kiss to laugh, smiling at each other from their spot on the floor. _

/

Marcel sighed as he put the phone down, a growl of anger escaping his throat as he threw the pen in his hand across the room. Silas was an impatient man and Marcel knew he needed Klaus if he had any hope of pulling this job off. It was too big to do alone and he wasn't an idiot as to trust someone he didn't know with such a job.

He was pulled out of this thoughts by his right hand man, Diego entering the office, "Marcel, someone's here to see you."

Marcel sighed, "Send them away, I'm busy."

"It's the police."

He head snapped up just in time to see two police officers enter his office, their eyes narrowing on him the moment they saw him.

Marcel shot them a friendly smile, he knew how to play this game, "Gentlemen, what can I do for you?"

"Marcel Gerard?" One of the police officers started, "You're under arrest."

/

So what do you think? Favourite line/scene? I tried to put a little of everything in this chapter!

Please review! You guys are so wonderful and reading your thoughts and opinions is amazing, it really makes me smile! Thank you!

Next chapter we have a Caroline and Elijah talk, some more Klaus/Liam bonding and some Jealous Klaus!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey guys! Another day, another chapter! I hope you enjoy this one, things are beginning to develop mire in terms of plot for this story! Thanks for the reviews!

/

Caroline sighed, taking a deep breath to calm herself before knocking on the heavy oak door in front of her. The conversation with Klaus had thrown her out of sync and she honestly didn't know what to make of it. She knew Klaus coming back into her life was going to be difficult, especially because he was Liam's father. She just hadn't anticipated what would happen if he wanted her back, Caroline was sure when he had looked her in the eyes and told her things were over that was it. She didn't even consider the possibility of Klaus lying to her.

He couldn't do that. What gave him the right to walk back into her life after five years and tell her he wasn't giving up on them? He was the one that put them where they were now, he was the one that pushed her away.

The whole situation made her head spin. He was Klaus, the only man she had ever loved and opened up to. There was a time he was her best friend, worst enemy and her lover all rolled into one. How was she meant to forget all that with his presence reminding her every day?

"Come in." She heard a muffled voice behind the door shout. Caroline lifted her head up high as she entered the room.

"Hey, Elijah. Do you have a second?" She asked, closing the door behind her.

Elijah looked up from the file on his desk, his brown eyes meeting her blue ones, "Of course, is everything alright?"

Caroline gave him a nervous chuckle, "If by alright you mean Liam knows about Klaus and Klaus pretty much just told me he wants me back and is willing to do whatever it takes to prove it, then yes, everything's alright." She ranted, flopping now into the chair opposite his own ungracefully.

Elijah's eyes went wide, "Liam knows Niklaus is his father?"

"Rebekah and Klaus were talking about it when we came home. It's not their fault. I should have done things differently, told him sooner." She sighed.

"You were doing what you thought was best for your family, Caroline, no one can blame you for that." Elijah assured her, "How did Liam take it?"

"He was great, it shocked him at first but we spoke to him about it and explained everything. Liam has always wanted to know about his dad, I think he is excited he finally has a proper answer."

"And how are you handling everything?"

Caroline smiled exhaustedly, "I'm not sure I am." She admitted, "I knew Klaus would be released eventually and I knew if he wanted to be a part of Liam's life then I was going to support that."

"But that's not the problem, is it?" Elijah prompted.

"He wants me back, Elijah." She sighed, "And that thought terrifies me so much I just want to run in the opposite direction."

"Have your feelings changed from five years ago?" Elijah asked and Caroline had to admire the diplomacy in his voice.

"I have spent so long blocking every thought and feeling about Klaus out I can't even tell anymore." Caroline said softly, "He's always had the power to destroy me, Elijah. He could do it and I would probably let him. Klaus is like fire sometimes."

Elijah nodded, "You're worried about getting burned?"

"I'm worried if I let him in and he hurts me again I wouldn't be able to block him out anymore."

"Then maybe you should see if it's worth the risk?" Elijah suggested.

Caroline stopped short then, "I told him I need time to deal with everything. I just can't even think about that right now."

"You're stronger than you think you are, Caroline. I love my brother but you need to be certain about what you want. If you're not ready, tell him." Elijah replied.

Caroline nodded, feeling better for the first time since she arrived at work, "Thank you." She smiled reaching over the table to hug him. Elijah froze uncomfortably, not a fan of being hugged and it caused Caroline to laugh, "You're the best, Elijah."

/

It was late when Caroline finally made it back home, her client's trial had been moved up by a few weeks and so she needed to go over several statements for their defence to make sure everything was ready for court. She let out a small groan as she slipped her heels off, kicking them to one side. She placed her coat on the rack along with her bag.

The house was unusually quiet even though she knew there was only Klaus and Liam there, all the lights were still on though so she knew they were in.

"Hello?" she called out as she rounded the corner to the living room, the sight in front of her making her smile.

Klaus was sprawled out on the couch on his back asleep, paint was splattered on his clothes and his hair was ruffled. Liam was sleeping against him, paint covering the boy's clothes too as he cuddled up to his father. It was in that moment Caroline noticed how much Liam looked like Klaus. The same shade of hair, the curve of the nose and she knew their eyes were the exact same shade too.

Caroline had to hold back her laughter as she dug into her pocket for her phone. She smiled as she set her camera up, snapping a picture of the pair.

The flash caused Klaus to stir, his hold on Liam tightening slightly as his eyes blinked open. He frowned before noticing Caroline standing by the door with her phone in her hand.

"You know, love, this could be classed as creepy." He mused from his spot on the couch.

Caroline smiled, "Only if you didn't enjoy it, which you did." She replied, "I'll send you the picture later, it's a good one."

Klaus smiled, "What time is it? The last thing I recall is some cartoon dog solving some sort of crime."

"It's late, my meeting over ran." Caroline explained, "It looks like you two had fun."

Gently Klaus eased Liam onto the couch, slipping out from underneath him to stand up. He stretched slightly, his clothes rumpled from sleep, "Well he started feeling better after about 3, and his temperature went down so we decided to do some painting."

"Yeah, he got that artistic streak from you." Caroline smiled.

"He must get his understanding from you."

Caroline looked over at Liam fondly, "Yeah, we did pretty well at the baby making." She laughed.

"We clearly make a good team, sweetheart." Klaus smirked.

Caroline tried not to blush at the implication of his comment, instead she shook her head, "So what masterpiece did you make today?"

Klaus smiled proudly, he led her over to the dining table where their works of art were drying. Caroline studied them carefully, Klaus had obviously drawn the outline and Liam coloured them in.

"These are really good." She smiled, "He is going to need his own studio before he is 6 at this rate."

Klaus smiled over at the boy, still asleep on the couch, "I look over at him and I can't believe he's ours. We have a little boy."

"We do." She smiled, "Although we should probably take him upstairs, it's past his bedtime."

"I'll do it." Klaus offered, "You just got in, go and grab a coffee or something."

Caroline smiled gratefully before moving over to Liam, placing a quick kiss on his forehead and whispering goodnight softly. She moved back as Klaus lifted him off the couch into his arms, Liam's head settling against Klaus' shoulder.

"Dad? Mom?" He muttered sleepily.

"Go back to sleep, son." Klaus murmured softly as he began to carry Liam up the stairs to his room.

Caroline watched them go, a smile on her lips. Klaus was good with him, it looked effortless and natural although she knew it was anything but. She could tell he was worried about messing things up and not being good enough. It didn't matter about her history with him though, if she was certain of one thing it was that there was no better man to be a father to Liam than Klaus.

A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts, she frowned slightly as she walked over to it. The last thing she wanted was visitors. It had been a hell of a day and all Caroline wanted to do was have a nice hot bath and crawl into bed.

She was shocked to find Jesse, her intern standing on the front porch. His black coat was zipped up, a stack of papers under his right arm.

"Jesse." She greeted trying not to let the exhaustion show in her voice.

He shot her a large smile, "Evening, Caroline. Sorry to bother you at home but I need your signature on a few of this case documents."

Caroline nodded, "Come in, I completely forgot to do them before I left."

"Don't worry about it, you looked kind of out of it today." Jesse smiled following her over to the dining table as he handed her the papers in his hand, he looked at the paper cluttering the area and smiled, "Did Liam draw these?"

"Yeah, he did." She replied, "Today has just been a long day."

"Well, we're not lawyers for all the time off and holiday pay." Jesse laughed.

Caroline gave him a smile, "I guess not." She grabbed a pen from the side, scanning through the papers quickly before signing her name at the bottom, "These notes are really good, Jesse. Straight to the point."

"Well I studied a lot of old ones you and Elijah had done for previous cases and used the same format." Jesse admitted, "It's my first big case, I want to get it right."

"You will, Elijah only hires the best." Caroline smiled.

"Actually I would love it if you could read through my case, just to make sure I got everything. Maybe one night this week? I'll even by you dinner as a thank you." Jesse asked somewhat nervously.

Caroline froze slightly, that sounded a little like he was asking her on a date. She was about to reply when she heard Klaus' voice.

"Sweetheart, have you seen Liam's wolf? Apparently he can't sleep without it." Klaus asked as he came into the room, stopping as he noticed Jesse.

Jesse was looking at Caroline, her eyes were looking at Klaus. "I didn't know you were seeing someone." Jesse said awkwardly.

Caroline shook her head, "I'm not. This is Klaus," She gestured to him.

"Klaus Mikaelson." Klaus smirked, "Liam's father."

Caroline could have killed him for the cocky way he said it.

"I'm Jesse." He said shaking Klaus' hand, "I work with Caroline."

"Yeah, Jesse is our number one junior intern at Mikaelson and Associates." Caroline clarified.

Klaus nodded, "And you're here at 9 in the evening because…"

"I had to get Caroline to sign a few things before tomorrow." Jesse explained, "Sorry to disturb you guys."

"That's alright, Caroline and I were just thinking about making something to eat. Right, love?" Klaus asked honestly. Caroline shot him a death glare, she knew what he was doing. It wasn't the first time he had played the jealous boyfriend, the only difference was he had no right to do it now.

"Listen, Caroline if now is a bad time I can always come back tomorrow morning?" Jesse asked sensing the tension between the two.

Caroline shook her head, "Now is a great time. Let me finish the rest of these and you're all good." She replied, quickly scrawling her name at the bottom of each paper.

"I don't remember Caroline mentioning you." Jesse said to Klaus and she didn't have to look up to know he was smirking.

"No well, I was away for a while and before that we were a little busy with _other_ activities."

Caroline shut her eyes, quickly handing Jesse his papers, "Okay, it's all done. I'll see you tomorrow, Jesse." She said, ushering Jesse to the front door.

"I'll see you at work then." Jesse said and Caroline nodded before shutting the door quickly.

She spun round to look at Klaus who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Well, he seemed rather rude." Klaus commented drily.

Caroline shook her head, "Seriously?"

"What you're not actually thinking about going to dinner with him?" Klaus replied, "He's not good enough for you."

"Look whose back to playing the jealous boyfriend again." Caroline sighed angrily.

Klaus' eyes narrowed as he took a step toward her, invading her personal space. Caroline moved up until her back was against the wall, she could feel Klaus' body heat and gulped.

"I didn't tell him anything that wasn't true." He said gruffly, "Surely you remember what it felt like? You screaming my name as I pleasured you in ways a boy like him would have no idea about."

Caroline pushed down the thoughts that were clawing their way to the surface, she refused to think about those things. With all her strength Caroline pushed him backwards, Klaus backed off instantly, letting her have her space.

"What you just did, that was a dick move." She told him before walking over to the couch to pick up Liam's stuffed wolf. She shoved it into Klaus' chest with a scowl before walking away from him.

/

"Marcel Gerard?"

Marcel's head snapped up from the table in front of him to see an older man enter the interrogation room.

"Finally, I have been stuck here for hours and you still haven't told me what the hell I've been charged with." Marcel said as he threw his arms out wide, "The police force is a joke."

The man gave him a scowl as he sat down opposite Marcel. He was wearing a black suit with dark hair, wrinkles around his eyes which were hard and cold.

"Forgive me for that, there seems to be a bit of miscommunications on that front," The man explained, "I'm the Chief Superintendent and I was hoping to discuss a business deal with you."

Marcel laughed, "I don't make deals with cops, I don't care how high up the food chain they are."

"You'll like this one." The Superintendent promised with a devilish smile. "See I don't want to arrest you, Mr Gerard. I would much rather get someone far more dangerous off the streets. A man who shouldn't have been released in the first place."

Marcel frowned, "What's this got to do with me?"

"You know Niklaus Mikaelson? Also known as the Hybrid?"

"This is about Klaus?"

The superintendent sighed, "I thought I had done my job when he was arrested and sent to prison. If I had my way he wouldn't have got out but his lawyer was very good."

"Klaus isn't my problem. You want him, you go after him yourself." Marcel stated, his face unreadable.

"I would but I have a reputation to uphold." The superintendent smiled, "Besides this situation can benefit us both."

"How does you wanting Klaus benefit me?" Marcel asked confused.

"You help me get Klaus Mikaelson back behind bars and I won't arrest you for your criminal activities." The superintendent said producing a folder from his jacket, spreading out pictures on the table. They were all of the different jobs Marcel had taken part in over the last year, "Did you really think no one was watching? As of right now we are the only two to see these files and I can make sure it stays that way. All you have to do is help me get Niklaus."

Marcel's eyes were still on the pictures in front of him, "What did you have in mind?" he asked, Klaus made his own bed, he turned his back on Marcel and the business. He betrayed Marcel first.

"Just get him involved on a job, give me the details and I will make sure we arrest him for it." The superintendent replied, "You get to walk off into the sunset and he gets a one way ticket back to jail. A repeat offence will land him a longer prison sentence, I'll plant witnesses to testify to how dangerous he is."

"You're corrupt." Marcel stated.

The superintendent laughed, "You don't get any justice in the world by following the rules. Niklaus Mikaelson needs to pay."

"If I do help you, these pictures get destroyed?" Marcel questioned.

"This is the only copy, once Klaus is in custody I will hand them over to you and you never have to see me again." He vowed with a nod.

Marcel stopped for a second, the pictures on the table glaring at him. After a moment he sighed, "It's a deal."

/

Well that was tense! Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene?

Please review! Your comments mean the world to me!

Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews and favourites and follows! You are the best! Chapter 8 is here and there is a smut warning at the beginning of this chapter – it's not what you think ;p.

Remember italics are flashbacks – I think you will like this one!

Enjoy!

/

_He was kissing her passionately, his lips eager against her own as their tongues tangled together. Caroline pulled him closer, every line of his body pressing her further into the mattress as she melted against him. She knotted her hand into his hair as his own wandered the exposed flesh of her ribs, they were both still in their underwear, neither wanting to break the connection to remove the garments. _

_He nipped her bottom lip once before trailing his mouth down the column of her throat, Caroline hummed in approval as he sucked at her pulse point, determined to mark her as his own. He didn't stop there, his lips moved down to the swell of her breasts, heaving against the material of her bra. He made no attempt to remove it though, instead licking and kissing whatever skin he could reach as Caroline tried not to hyperventilate below him._

"_Klaus…" She said in a breathless plea._

_His stormy blue eyes snapped up to look at her, the irises darkened by lust, a look Caroline knew was mirrored in her own eyes. He gave her his signature smirk before returning his lips to her body. Caroline laughed as his moved down to her ribcage, placing hot open mouthed kisses at random intervals on her stomach. _

_One of his hands moved under the material of her panties, his fingers running along her already soaked flesh. One finger moved to enter her causing Caroline to gasp and buck up towards him. _

"_Is this what you wanted, love?" He asked roughly making her head swim. _

"_Klaus." _

_He moved back up to kiss her soundly, not removing his hand from her panties. Caroline returned his kiss, biting down on his lower lip slightly in frustration._

"_Don't worry, sweetheart. I've got you." He whispered against her mouth as he moved back down her body._

_Klaus lifted one of her legs round his waist so he was settled in the middle of her before removing her panties all together. Caroline shuffled up against the pillows to give him more room, her breath hitched at the thought of what was to come. _

_He moved her leg so it was resting over his shoulder before his head dipped down between her legs. Caroline couldn't stop the moan that came out as she first felt his tongue caressing her, one of her hands reaching out for the headboard behind her to steady herself. _

_Klaus licked her expertly, her taste collecting on his tongue as he sucked her clit into her mouth. Caroline was writhing below him, her eyes closed in ecstasy as she bit her lip between her teeth. Klaus' tongue worked magic on her, he knew what to do to have her gasping and moaning beneath him and the added sensation of his stubble grazing her sensitive flesh only added to her arousal._

_His hands dancing along the skin of her stomach and thighs as he continued his actions, occasionally moving to nip her thigh playfully. At the first stroke on his tongue inside her core Caroline's grip on the headboard got tighter. Her other hand threading into his dirty blonde curls. _

"_God, Klaus." She panted as he worked her up to her peak. _

_Caroline was nothing more than a bundle of excitement at his mercy, Klaus sucked her relentlessly knowing she was so close to her release, her legs tightening around his shoulders as the pressure built. _

_It wasn't long before she was coming, hard. Klaus riding her through the aftershocks of her orgasm using flat strokes of his tongue to prolong her pleasure. Caroline made a noise that was half way between a scream and his name, her whole body arching up against him. _

_The next thing she knew Klaus' face was in her sight, his lips at her jaw. _

"_You are so beautiful, Caroline." He murmured against her skin as she came down from her orgasm, her lips already searching for his own._

Caroline awoke with a gasp, sitting bolt up in bed, her breathing heavy and the sheets tangled round her legs. She was hot and sweaty, blinking rapidly in the darkness of her room. Caroline's heart was hammering against her chest, tearing the covers from her body as if they burned her.

What the hell was that? Did she just have a sex dream about Klaus? Seriously?

As if her life wasn't enough of a mess right now, she had to start reliving their imitate moments together too?

She got out of bed quickly, making her way over to her bathroom to splash cold water on her face. Caroline was still trembling from the dream and it was hard to believe that a simple dream could have such an effect on her. A fleeting thought crossed her mind that it might not be the dream at all, maybe that was just how powerful an effect Klaus had on her?

There was always something about Klaus that allured to darkness, it was a trait Caroline knew she shouldn't be attracted to but she was anyway. She liked how protective he was over things he cared about. Where everyone else saw a monster she saw a mystery, a challenge. A man with a troubled past who was capable of so much love.

It really shouldn't be a surprise to her Klaus was now plaguing her subconscious mind. She was angry at his behaviour last night with Jesse but a part of her was turned on by the fact he still got that jealous over her with other guys.

Caroline would never date Jesse, of course, he was a nice guy and maybe if she gave him half a chance he could make her happy, but the whole time she would be comparing him to what she had with Klaus and that wasn't fair on either on them.

She stripped down and stepped into the shower, the water helping to relieve the tense and buzzing of her limbs as she scrubbed away all traces of her dream. She knew one thing for sure, it was going to be a long day.

/

"Look at Blondie working through lunch." Damon smirked as he popped his head through her doorway, "Careful, someone might think you want a raise."

Caroline smiled, "It's a bit crowded at home and I need to finish this paperwork up." Caroline replied, choosing not to tell Damon the reason she was working through lunch is because she was avoiding Klaus. She could barely look at him that morning without thinking back to her dream.

"Yeah, Elijah mentioned Klaus was back in town." Damon replied clicking his tongue.

"I'm kind of in the middle of something right now, Damon." Caroline insisted, gesturing to her paperwork. The last thing she wanted was to discuss Klaus.

Damon saw straight through her, "You're deflecting, now spill." He replied settling into one of her office chairs, kicking his feet up to rest on the edge of her desk.

Caroline sighed, "Did you want something or are you just trying to annoy me?"

"A little of both," Damon chuckled, "I wanted to see how you were."

"I'm fine." She insisted with a pointed stare.

"That's bullshit." Damon argued, "Try again."

"I have a lot going round in my mind, okay. I'm a little frazzled, sue me." Caroline scowled knowing Damon wasn't going to drop the issue now.

"You want to know what I think."

"Not really."

"I think you still like this guy," Damon concluded, "Otherwise you wouldn't let him get under your skin."

Caroline frowned, "That makes no difference. Klaus is Liam's father, I can't handle anything else right now."

"That doesn't mean you don't want anything else." Damon pointed out, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows before resting them on his knees, "It means you're scared."

"Damon, I really don't want to talk about this." Caroline sighed, leaning back into her seat.

"Klaus isn't going away, Caroline. You can't bury your head in the sand and pretend none of this is happening."

"So what do I do?"

Damon smiled, "Do the thing that scares you."

"When did you become insightful?" Caroline questioned with a little smile.

"Well either that or fuck like bunnies until he is out of your system." Damon quipped and Caroline threw her pen at him.

"And there's the Damon I know." She laughed.

"Whatever you need, Blondie." Damon bowed in jest, "Don't forget the meeting at 2. Elijah told me to remind you." He finished before standing up and striding out of her office.

Caroline shook her head at him with a smile before looking back at the papers on her desk. It was then she realised he had taken her pen with him.

/

Klaus was waiting for Caroline when she got home, he was in the living room with a photo album stretched out in front of him as he heard her close the door.

"Tell me about your pregnancy." He blurted out as he looked up to see her enter the room.

Caroline stopped short, "Where did that come from?"

"You were right before, I can't come back and expect things to be like they were when I know nothing about what you went through. So tell me." Klaus insisted as he patted the spot next to him on the couch.

Caroline sighed, "I don't think…"

"I need to know, Caroline. I want to know." He replied giving her a soft stare.

She settled down next to him as she kicked off her shoes before folding her legs underneath her, "What do you want to know?"

Klaus smiled, "Everything, your scans, the birth. Just start from the beginning. We use to be able to tell each other anything, Caroline. Let's see if that's still the case."

"Okay, my first scan was when I got it confirmed, Elijah was with me because I didn't want to go by myself. I heard Liam's heartbeat and it was strong and real, you know. That's when it hit me I was going to be a mother. I had some pretty bad mood swings too, I cried a lot."

Klaus chuckled, "I'm sure that made Elijah uncomfortable."

"A little bit, he was very supportive though. Rebekah too, she helped me with Liam's name. I wanted to honour you in there somehow and we came up with Henrik for his middle name." Caroline smiled.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"I was locked up and had no idea I had a son and you still took my feelings into consideration, Caroline." He said softly.

She smiled at him, "He is your son, Nik, and no one can take that away from you."

"That's the second time you have called me that since I have been back, love." He smiled at the nickname.

"Force of habit." Caroline replied, "Sometimes it's hard to tell between the two."

Klaus frowned then, "What do you mean?"

"When we were dating it's like you were Klaus, the Hybrid, the rough criminal but then you would come home to me and you were Nik, my boyfriend and best friend." Caroline explained.

"I was the same person, sweetheart, and all of me belonged to you." Klaus told her, his eyes searching hers.

Caroline was the first to break eye contact, "What else? I have some pretty weird cravings too." She smiled, hoping he would let the subject go, "I was obsessed with peanut butter, I put it on everything."

Klaus chuckled, "Now that I would have paid to see." He said letting her change the topic, he knew things had to move at her pace and after last night he didn't want to overdo it, "What about when you went into labour?"

"Rebekah was with me in the delivery room, I think I screamed the place down. It was worth it when Liam was placed into my arms, 7 pounds of perfection in a bundle." She smiled.

"Then you moved in here?"

"Pretty much," Caroline nodded, "Elijah was insistent that we needed more space and my rent was expensive."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, love."

"What was prison like?" The question had been burning through her mind since he came back and she was amazed she held back this long to ask it.

Klaus sighed, his eyes hardening, "You don't want to know about that, Caroline."

"I thought we were being open and honest with each other?" She reminded him.

"It was hell," He told her bluntly, "There were fights pretty much every day and even though some guys in there were worse than me they still cracked."

"Did you get into fights?" She asked gently, not wanting to pressure him.

Klaus ran a hand through his hair, "I didn't have much of a choice. Fight back or get a knife in your skin."

Her eyes grew wide, "Klaus…"

"I'm okay, Caroline, I swear." He answered her unspoken question.

"But you got hurt?" She guessed.

Klaus sighed before taking her hand in his own, Caroline didn't pull away. She let Klaus move her hand under his black Henley, their fingers settling on a rough line on his skin by his ribs. She gasped as she felt it, moving her fingers across the skin gently. Klaus shivered under her touch and they both ignored it, before long Caroline moved her hand back with a shake of her head.

"How did you cope in there?" She wondered.

Klaus smiled, "I thought of you, every day. I dreamt of you every night. It was hell inside, Caroline but you kept me sane. You were the one I clung to when I thought I was falling apart."

There were tears in her eyes now and gave him a watery smile, grabbing his hand in hers and squeezing tightly, "I'm glad you're home."

"Me too, love, me too."

/

The last person Elijah expected to see at his office was Klaus, his eyes widening slightly as he invited his brother into his office, closing the door behind them. It was getting late, the sky dark outside and Elijah was just about to head out when Klaus knocked on his door.

"Niklaus, what can I do for you." He asked curtly as Klaus walked further into the room.

He sighed, "I need to ask you something, Elijah, I beg for you to be honest with me."

"I will always be honest with you, we are family." Elijah insisted leaning back against his desk as Klaus paced in front of him stiffly.

"Do you love her?" His voice was accusing yet there was a softer helpless plead to his tone.

Elijah frowned, "I'm sorry?"

"Do you love Caroline?"

"I though we went over this when you first got back, we are friends." Elijah insisted.

Klaus nodded, "But do you love her?"

"Yes." Elijah replied, "As a sister. As I love Rebekah."

The answer was enough for Klaus to sigh, his shoulders sagging slightly as he collapsed into the nearest chair.

"What is this about, Niklaus?" Elijah asked with a frown.

"She confides you, Elijah." He explained, "Caroline tells you things she can't tell anyone else and that use to be my job. I feel like I've lost her."

"You've been away for five year, brother, that's a long time. Things have changed but if I am certain of one thing it's that you will never truly lose her." Elijah replied, his face soften.

"After everything I have done, I don't even believe I deserve her back."

"That woman loves you, even if she doesn't want to admit it to herself. She has missed you, Niklaus, she is scared and worried that she is going to get hurt again but I swear her feelings for you haven't changed."

Klaus nodded, "I needed to know."

"And now you do." Elijah replied, "Caroline is very dear to me, Liam too. They are family. If you want them back, earn them."

"I think I pushed her too far last night, Jesse came over and I handled things poorly." Klaus admitted, his eyes cast down at the floor.

Elijah held back a smile, "Sometimes I think you two will never make any sense without the other."

"And yet here we are."

"You'll get your family back, Niklaus. You have keep trying."

/

So there you go! What did you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene?

Please review! I am so honoured by your comments and I can only hope I live up to your expectations! It means so much to me to hear from you!

Next chapter we have another flashback, some Marcel and Klaus interaction and Jesse pops up again!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Thanks for all the comments and love for the last one! This goes out to everyone who has reviewed or favourite this story! It means so much to me! Thank you all!

Enjoy!

/

Klaus should have known better that to think that Marcel would simple leave him alone after their argument. His protégé wasn't the type that liked being upstaged and so when Klaus' phone buzzed with a new text from Marcel he was more frustrated than surprised.

Things with Caroline were better, he was trying to get her to open up and let him in again. Proving to her she could trust him like she used to. Klaus wondered what Caroline would say if she knew about Marcel? Whether she would support him or push him further away again.

He knew where she was coming from, her childhood hardly being a happy, healthy one. Caroline told him once she hadn't spoken to her father in years and knew little about him after he walked out on her and her mom when she was a girl. Caroline's mother was a sheriff but the two were never close, Caroline told him that while she loved her mother they had very little in common. Naturally when Caroline moved to the big city to study Law she drifted away from her mother even more. The two barely exchanged more than an odd phone call every couple of months now.

Caroline was pushing him away because she was protecting herself, she was protecting Liam. Klaus got that, it still hurt like hell when she would close up and retreat though. Klaus knew he wouldn't stop trying to get through to her again, to break down every defence she had built around herself because she didn't deserve to need them. Klaus always hated how use to hurting she was and he vowed to be her best defence against anything that wished her harm.

He just never foresaw himself hurting her like this.

Klaus ignored Marcel's text as well as all the others his former partner sent him over the next few days. Instead he focused on Liam and his family and learning all the things he missed out on. Marcel's words floated around in the back of his mind often, doubt creeping into thoughts. Would he mess everything up again? Would he end up back where he started, running the city with a ruthless attitude?

Klaus hoped not.

It was late afternoon a few days later when Marcel decided to get proactive. Klaus felt his blood boil at the sight of his protégé on his doorstep with a cheap smirk, dressed in black like he was trying to prove he was the worst man. Klaus grit his teeth as Marcel pushed passed him into the house, thankful he was alone for this encounter.

"Sorry for the intrusion, I didn't think this was a conversation you wanted to have on the doorstep." Marcel smirked as he rested on the back of the couch, crossing his arms over his jacket.

"I thought I made it clear by not answering your messages that I didn't want to be having this conversation at all." Klaus commented drily, standing firmly in front of Marcel.

Marcel smiled, "What you think you can waltz back in here and tell me you're done and that's it?" he questioned, "We don't care. We don't feel. Remember?"

"Yet here you are."

"We're family, Klaus. You don't walk away from that." Marcel replied.

Klaus' eyes hardened, "I have a family, Marcellus. One I have no intention of losing."

"That's why I'm here, to give you a proposition." Marcel explained as he stood up off the back of the couch, standing closer to Klaus, "You do this last job with me and we're even. We're done. You can go and paint landscapes and go to soccer games and you'll never see me again."

Klaus sighed, standing deadly close to Marcel as a form of intimidation, one he knew was very effect from his business days. His eyes were dark and cold, "No." he said roughly though it came out as a harsh affirmation.

Marcel stumbled slightly as Klaus knocked past him but recovered quickly, spinning round to face him, "Wrong answer," he smiled maliciously, "Trust me when I say I don't want to do this but you have left me with no choice."

Klaus frowned, rising an eyebrow in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"I need you to help me pull this job off, Klaus. It's not negotiable."

"And if I don't?" He challenged crossing his arms as he cocked his head to one side.

"I'll go after that family you care so much about." Marcel promised, "Your girl's hot, bet she's feisty in the bedroom. Your son's cute too, I wonder how he would feel with no parents?"

Klaus threw a fast punch, Marcel's nose crunching under his hand. Marcel barely had enough time to recover before Klaus' hands were on the collar of his shirt, his back slammed against the wall. Blood was pouring from his nose, staining Klaus' knuckles and his grey Henley as Marcel coughed and spluttered at him.

"What makes you think I won't kill you before you can get anywhere near them?" Klaus asked with venom, practically spitting out the words as his grip on Marcel tightened.

"Because you know I'm not stupid. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't have a plan. You've been away for a long time, Klaus. I've kept a close eye on Caroline and the rest of your family. If anything happens to me, my guys know exactly whose body will get found next." Marcel said, his mouth red with blood as he smiled.

Klaus sighed in anger, torn between tearing out Marcel's liver and protecting his family, "All of this just because you need help on a job?"

"You always said love is the greatest weakness there is. It seems you've contradicted yourself." Marcel laughed.

"I'll kill you and everyone you have ever met if you so much as harm a hair…"

Marcel cut him off, "Except I don't care or feel, remember? I followed your rules." He replied, "And as long as you follow mine your family never have to know about your brief stint back in my neck of the woods."

Klaus laughed then, "I don't follow orders. Especially not yours."

"But you will for them. Because you know that's the only thing that will keep your family safe and together." Marcel pointed out.

Checkmate.

That's what it came down to in the end, why Marcel was always the best and worst opponent Klaus could have.

He knew him.

He knew how Klaus worked, he knew what lengths Klaus would go to and how far he was willing to go.

Marcel knew about Klaus' weakness. He knew about Caroline and now Liam as well.

"What's the job?" Klaus sighed in defeat, pushing Marcel harshly away from him, making sure he hit the wall again with some force.

Marcel groaned slightly at the impact as one hand came up to wipe the blood from his nose, "Just a routine shipment of firearms. Silas will meet us at the docks to buy them, all we need to do is make sure the shipment gets delivered."

"But they will have tightened security due to my arrest so you have no way of getting the shipment into the country, do you?" Klaus concluded with a smirk. "That's why you need me."

"Twenty-four-seven security on the docks and a routine patrol at night. I can't take them out by myself, not to mention all the cameras the police have installed. I have my guys recording every camera they know but there are still blind spots." Marcel replied with a sigh, wiping his face over his black shirt.

Klaus ran a hand through his hand, "We need to be sure before the shipment gets sent over. I'm not getting send back to prison because you're guys didn't cover every blind spot."

"Don't worry, I trust them with my life."

"I don't." Klaus cut in, "If I am doing this I'm bringing in someone I trust. Clearly that isn't you anymore."

"Bring in whoever you like, Klaus. Just help me do the damn job. For the safety of your family if nothing else."

Klaus' eyes narrowed, "I'll do it. But when we're done here you better disappear from this town and sleep with your eyes open. I don't like being manipulated, Marcellus, don't think you don't end up like everyone else before you who betrayed me."

"Does Caroline know about them? What you do to help who betray you? I would hate for her to end up like that." Marcel said clicking his tongue.

"I would never hurt her."

"There's more than one way to hurt someone, Klaus. You taught me that."

/

Klaus had spent over an hour in the shower, scrubbing all traces of blood from his knuckles until they was red raw. A part of him was trying to wash away the all conversation with Marcel away too but he knew that wasn't going to happen.

He told Caroline he was done with that life, he wanted to be done with that life but apparently Marcel had other ideas. If Caroline knew he wasn't even out of jail for a month and was back doing what he use to Klaus knew he would lose her. For good, she didn't want Liam growing up around that and neither did Klaus.

It was ironic how the one thing he was doing to keep his safe family was always the sole thing that could tear it apart.

As soon as he exited his bedroom, pulling a clean shirt over his head the smell of muffins hit him. He smiled slightly at that, following the scent down the stairs to the kitchen. Klaus propped himself up on the doorframe as he watched Caroline work. She was humming to herself as she stirred the mixture in the bowl, another batch of muffins in the oven cooking behind her.

Klaus smiled brightly at the familiar sight. She had always loved baking.

_He groaned as she shifted onto his side in bed, not feeling the usual weight against his chest. Klaus reached out a hand across the bed where Caroline should be to pull her closer to him but instead of encountering her warm naked skin, his fingers found the cold wrinkled sheets of their bed. _

_Klaus frowned as he opened his eyes, taking in the bedroom door which was wide out and the soft glow of the light on down the hallway. _

"_Caroline?" he called out sleepily as he sat up in bed, he sighed before climbing out of the warm covers. His feet hit the cold floor below and Klaus shivered slightly, grabbing his boxers from where they were discarded early that night and slipping them on. _

_He found her in the kitchen, the radio playing softly in the background as she twirled around to a song he didn't know. Klaus smiled, watching her from the doorway as she bend down to check the oven, cake mix and kitchen appliances covering the work side. Caroline hadn't noticed him, her eyes focused on whatever she was cooking. She was wearing his shirt and her bright blue panties, her legs bare as she retrieved the tray from the oven. _

_Klaus snuck over to her quickly, waiting until she put the tray down before enveloping her into his arms from behind, "Midnight snack?" he inquired kissing her neck. Caroline let out a giggle as she leaned back into him. _

"_Well it's been a bad day and chocolate chip cookies always make things better." Caroline explained, picking up a warm cookie with her hands before taking a bite. _

"_You don't need to worry about your exam, love. You'll be brilliant." Klaus replied, "You're too stressed."_

_Caroline laughed, "After all the stress relief we just did, that's hard to believe." _

_She offered him a bite of her cookie and Klaus bite into it, the warm cookie tasting like heaven in his mouth. She was a remarkable cook, even if she did cook at weird times. _

"_So cooking at one in the morning makes you feel better?" Klaus teased._

_Caroline turned round in his arms, her own looping around his neck as she swallowed the last bit of cookie, "Sex with you and chocolate chip cookies. Is there anything better?"_

_Klaus kissed her hard, his tongue tasting the chocolate on her lips and in her mouth as Caroline returned his kiss. Her hands were lost in his hair and she barely registered it when her back bumped into the countertop behind her. _

"_What do you say we take these cookies back to bed with us?" Klaus asked softly with a smirk._

"_I like the way you think." She winked at him before grabbing a handful of cookies. Klaus followed suit, grabbing his own handful before leading her back to bed. _

_They ate cookies in bed in the dark, Klaus sitting up against the headboard as Caroline's legs were thrown over his under the covers. They talked and laughed, sharing their hoard of cookies before Klaus couldn't resist rolling her under him, and Caroline wrapped her legs around him._

"_I really like the way you think." She laughed as he kissed her again, both of them giving into their desires. _

"Bad day?" Klaus asked from the doorway, pushing all thoughts of the past to the back of his brain. Caroline spun around, giving him a weary smile as she saw him.

"Hey, I wasn't sure if anyone was home." She said as she poured the mixture into muffin cases, "I forget I needed to bake for Liam's school tomorrow so Elijah let me go early to get them done."

"What are you making?" Klaus asked curiously.

Caroline smiled, "Blueberry muffins." He could see a hint of blush on her cheeks.

Klaus smirked, "My favourite." They both knew it.

"Liam's as well. He requested them."

The timer cut off their conversation, reminding Caroline she was in the middle of a task as she spun round to grab the oven gloves off the side. Klaus watched as she removed the blueberry muffins from the oven, the tray slipping slightly in her hands. Caroline placed it down roughly on the side before tearing the oven gloves off her hands.

"Jesus." She cursed as she held her left hand in her right.

Klaus was over to her in a flash, "What's wrong?"

"I burned my hand on the tray, I'm fine." She insisted but Klaus ignored her. He led her over to the skin, placing their hands under as he turned on the cold water. Klaus kept his hand on hers, rubbing the skin of her hand slightly as the water ran down their fingers.

"Thank you." She smiled sheepishly.

Klaus smiled back, "Always."

His hand left hers gently as he took the muffins off the baking tray, placing them into the container Caroline had ready. He grabbed the last one, taking a bite out of it with a smirk.

Caroline scowled at him, "Those are meant to be for the bake sale." She reminded him as she turned off the water and dried her hands.

"There's still as good as I remember." Klaus smiled, "You know I love your cooking, sweetheart."

"Well at least I made extra." She smiled as she started cleaning up the side, dumping things into the skin before wiping her cheek.

Klaus took another bite of his muffin before offering some to Caroline. She looked at him for a moment before smiling. She moved closer, taking a bite. She moaned as she chewed.

"I am good." She smirked as she swallowed.

Klaus laughed, placing the muffin down as one of his hands came up to her cheek, his thumb swiping across her cheekbone. Caroline froze, her eyes wide.

"What are you doing?" She asked softly, her voice small.

Klaus smiled, "You had flour on your cheek, love."

Caroline relaxed into his touch as Klaus continued stroking her cheek softly, his fingers splayed out so he was cupping her face. His eyes were locked onto her own blue ones, following them as he stepped closer to her. Caroline's eyes closed for a moment as she took a deep breath, when she opened her eyes she stepped back gently, Klaus' hand slipping from her face.

"I need to make a second batch." She muttered distractedly.

Klaus nodded, "I'll pick Liam up so you have time to finish these off." He replied and was rewarded by a small smile from Caroline before he left the room, the rest of his muffin uneaten on the side.

/

Caroline retreated to her safe haven after making the second batch of blueberry muffins, only allowing herself a moment to breathe when she was safely locked in her office at Mikaelson and Associates. She was cursing herself for being a coward and running away from Klaus yet again but it seemed to be her default setting.

She wanted to trust him, every time she looked into his stormy blue eyes she saw him pleading with her for another chance and Caroline wanted to give it to him. She wanted to give him; them another shot at forever yet she was petrified.

Of losing him, of him leaving again. Klaus promised he was here to stay and Caroline knew if he had his way then he would keep his word but that was the problem. He couldn't make a promise like that because it wasn't in his control to keep it.

Still, there had been a moment between them in the kitchen earlier. A moment that felt as natural and electric as they use to between them. That look he gave her where Caroline could swear he saw right through to her soul. His lips parted slightly like he was imagining the feeling of her own against them.

Caroline shivered at the thought, a simple kiss with Klaus was always more than a simple kiss. It felt like something was exploding inside her, a drug that was calling out for Klaus making her pull him closer until they were wrapped up in each other. Caroline had never had that raw need and burning desire with anyone else and she knew she never would again.

Klaus' love consumed her and she liked it, hell she gave as good as she got.

That was fine will there were living in a bubble where nothing could hurt them but Caroline knew better now, she knew would pain and hurt and abandonment felt like and she didn't think she was strong enough to go through that again.

Then there was Liam, four years old and in the short amount of time he had known Klaus, Caroline knew her son was very attached to his father. Only yesterday did she find them together working on another piece of artwork, Klaus showing Liam little tips he had learnt along the way.

Having a child together only made things more complicated and Caroline knew she had to be sure before she started anything with Klaus again. Liam would be thrilled if they were together but he would be equally disheartened if down the line they broke up. The problem was that Caroline was a big mess of emotions and trying to figure out her feelings was proving difficult, Klaus being around her all the time was not helping her thoughts.

A knock at her office door caused her to jump, too wrapped up in her own head to notice her surroundings. She instantly calmed down as she saw Jesse through the glass, his face relaxed and confident.

"Jesse, what's up?" She asked as she quickly unlocked the door, a professional smile on her face.

Jesse walked in with his eyebrows raised, "Was the door locked?"

"I had a bit of a headache." Caroline replied, "Are those for me?" She asked nodding to the files in his hand.

He shook his head, "Nope, these are for Elijah. I was just coming to check on you after the other night with your ex."

"Sorry about Klaus, he's a little… intense." Caroline said with an uneasy laugh.

"I get it, there's history there and you have Liam." Jesse nodded, "No offence though, the guy's a bit of a jerk."

"He's overprotective. Annoyingly so but he's a good guy at heart." Caroline said in response, her eyes not meeting Jesse's as she spoke.

He nodded thoughtfully, "Listen the annual charity event thing is coming up in a few weeks and Elijah is making everyone attend so I was wondering if you wanted to go together?" he asked somewhat shyly, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

Caroline paused, the question throwing her through a loop, "Oh…"

"Or we can grab dinner somewhere, I know a great Thai restaurant." Jesse continued, "I like you Caroline, a lot."

She swallowed thickly, clearing her throat and tried to pretend everything was normal, "Jesse I don't think that's a great idea. My life is such a mess right now and I need to focus on Liam and everything. It's just really bad timing."

"It's Klaus, isn't it? You won't go out with me because you are still in love with him." Jesse concluded.

Caroline didn't know how to answer, Klaus was the first thought that flashed through her mind when Jesse had asked her out but did she still love him? She tried not to think about those feelings, choosing to block them out was easier.

"I don't…" She trailed off.

Jesse nodded, "I get it, Caroline. He's your epic love. I can't compete with that, no one can."

He left her alone again and Caroline collapsed into the nearest chair, a dumb-folded expression on her face. One question going through her mind at one hundred miles per hour.

Was Jesse right?

/

So what do you think? Favourite line/scene? Let me know

Please review! They mean a lot to me and really keep me writing! Thank you all!

Next time we have a cute family moment and we find out Elijah's secret1


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Wow! I am blown away with all the reviews for the last chapter! Thank you so much! I am so glad you like the story, hold on, the best is yet to come!

Enjoy!

/

Klaus smiled softly as Liam burrowed under the covers of his bed sleepily, his grey wolf was next to him as he wriggled around until he was comfortable. Klaus could sense Caroline behind him, watching silently from the doorway as he put their son to bed.

"Will you tell me a story?" Liam asked, his big blue eyes blinking at Klaus innocently.

Klaus smirked, "Would you like to hear one about your mother?"

Liam perked up at that notion, nodding his head excitedly. He shuffled over in his bed, making room for Klaus to sit down next to him. Klaus climbed onto the empty side of the small bed, his back against the headboard with his feet stretched out in front of him. He was surprised when Liam shifted closer, his head resting on Klaus' chest as he threw a small arm around his middle. Klaus looked up at Caroline and she smiled in return, giving him a little nod of encouragement. Klaus wrapped an arm around his son, getting comfort before he started his story.

"Once upon a time there was a princess who was beautiful, strong and so full of light. Everyone in the kingdom loved her." Klaus began, his eyes looking at Caroline as he spoke, "To celebrate her birthday, the kingdom held a huge ball for the princess and invited everyone to attend. One man in attendance was a lowly thief, forced into going by the rest of his family."

"Does the princess fall in love with the thief, dad?" Liam asked sleepily.

"Wait and see," Klaus replied, "The ball was elegant and expensive, everyone wearing masks to protect their identities. That was when the thief first saw her, the princess' beauty entrancing him from that first glance. He knew he had to meet her, to get to know her."

"What did he do?" Liam cut in curiously.

"He asked her to dance," Klaus said with a smile, looking up to find Caroline with a smile of her own, "As they danced and talked they both felt a connection to each other that was unlike anything they had ever experienced. The thief understood her more than anyone else in the Palace, he challenged her and the princess felt free."

"So they fell in love." Liam concluded.

Klaus chuckled, "Yes, they fell in love." He answered, "But they didn't live happily ever after. No matter what the thief felt for the princess, he knew she deserved better. They could not be together and he let her go with nothing more than a smile and a kiss on the cheek."

"The thief is an idiot, dad."

Caroline chuckled, "Don't worry, Liam. The princess was smart and knew what he was doing. She set out to find him, refusing to allow him to throw away their love." She explained, looking at Klaus with a smile as he gestured for her to continue the story, "She found him and they argued about their relationship, the princess promising to never love another the way she loved her thief."

"The thief make her a promise to show her the world." Klaus finished, "He knew even if it was wrong and selfish he loved her too much to let her go."

"They continued seeing each other, getting to know each other for months before the princess official introduced him as her boyfriend." Caroline smiled, "That's when they got their happy ending."

"There wasn't much action in it." Liam said, "Where's the fighting?"

"Well, their story isn't over yet." Klaus pointed out, "See, the thief did something stupid that sent him away from the princess for a long time. He vowed to find her again and ask for a second chance. The thief knew he would fight for her with his last breath if he had to."

Liam thought for a moment, "I don't think she should forgive him straight away."

"Why's that, mate?" Klaus asked.

"Because he left her and that's not nice. The thief has to prove his love to the princess before she takes him back."

Caroline coughed slightly, "Okay, little guy, time for bed." She said with an awkward smile.

Klaus nodded once, getting off the bed before rearranging the covers over Liam.

"Dad, you are going to leave again?" The boy asked in a small voice, his eyes peering into Klaus'.

Klaus froze for a second before sitting back down on the bed, one hand running through Liam's hand, "I am never going to leave you and your mother again, Liam. I promise."

Liam smiled, "I'm glad you're my dad." He yawned, "I love you guys."

"I love you too, sweetie." Caroline replied as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Klaus ruffled his hair once more, "I love you too, son." He said softly before placing a kiss on the boy's forehead.

Neither spoke until they were out of the room and Caroline had shut Liam's door.

"Nice story," She smiled, "The princess and the thief? Seriously?"

Klaus smirked, "That's how I see you."

"Liam loves having you here, you know." Caroline pointed out as they started walking down the stairs.

Klaus nodded, "Do you?" he spun round to face her on the stairs, his eyes searching hers.

"Yes, I do." She smiled shyly and Klaus returned it. The feeling of relief and happiness in his chest was so weighed down by the dread and worry of what was to come. He knew there was no point to getting Caroline back unless he was honest with her, even if that meant losing the progress they had made.

"I need to tell you something." He sighed, his eyes cast down so he wasn't looking at her face.

Caroline stepped closer to him, "What's happened?"

Klaus couldn't response, the words lost in his throat as he thought about how to tell her about Marcel.

"Nik," Her voice broke through to him, "What happened?"

He sighed once before looking into her blue orbs, "Get Elijah and meet me in the living room, Caroline. I have to tell you now before you hate me even more than you are about to."

That sentence sparked worry in her and she didn't say a word as she left him standing on the stairs, heading straight for Elijah's office.

/

Caroline couldn't stop fidgeting as she took a seat next to Elijah on the couch. Her hands were shaking as they played with the hem of her skirt, a nervous habit she had developed over the last few years. Her eyes were trained on Klaus, flitting as they followed him pacing in front of the fireplace.

He had yet to speak and every second of silence was only adding to the torture building up in Caroline's chest. How bad was it? A million different scenarios flashed through her mind, each one harder to cope with than the last. Her heart with thudding in her chest and all she really wanted to do with scream at him to tell them already.

Elijah patted her knee with his right hand, trying to offer her comfort and stop her moving but it had the opposite effect. Her toes were scrunching against the floor, her lip caught between her teeth waiting with baited breath until Klaus finally spoke.

"I'm sorry." He said simply, his eyes fixed anywhere in the room but on Caroline and Elijah. He didn't look much better than Caroline, constantly pacing the same metre of space in front of them, "I didn't want this to happen."

"Niklaus, explain." Elijah demanded and Caroline could tell his patience with his younger brother was wearing thin.

"A few weeks ago, Marcel contacted me, he said he had a job offer for me." Klaus confessed, his eyes closed as he forced the words out of his mouth.

"Did you take it?" Caroline asked, the emotion thick in her voice, "Did you take the job? Are you back selling illegal weapons again?" It came out harsher than intention and Klaus tried not to flinch at the coldness of her voice. He hated it when she saw him like that, as a criminal and nothing more.

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, softening as he took in the pleading look of her own, "No, never again, Caroline. I told him just that, I wouldn't risk losing you and Liam, I _can't_ risk it."

It was Elijah who replied, Caroline's eyes still locked onto Klaus' like she was assessing what else he wasn't telling her. That thought alone was like a knife in his chest.

"I'm assuming your former protégé didn't take too kindly to that." Elijah guessed, his voice ever the calm professional Caroline had heard him use in the courtroom.

Klaus nodded once, "He came here the other day, threatened Caroline and Liam to make me agree."

"He knew what buttons to push." Elijah summarised, "I told you he was dangerous, Niklaus. You trained him to be just that and now he has turned on you."

"It's one more job, Elijah, then he made it very clear I would never have to see him again. I also made it very clear what would happen to him if I did see him after we're done here." Klaus replied, voice and eyes hard.

"This is a dangerous game. One that could put you back inside if you're not careful."

Klaus sighed, "I have no choice, and Caroline and Liam aren't getting caught in the crossfire in my war against Marcel. I'm not making this decision for myself, Elijah."

"I hope you know what you are doing, Marcel will stab you in the back the first chance he gets."

"I know, that's why I'm calling in my own reinforcements." Klaus replied, "I know how Marcel works, how he thinks. I know what I'm doing."

Elijah fell silent then, the only sound in the room was their breathing as both brothers turned to Caroline. She had been silent for some time and that was never a good sign.

It was Klaus that made the first move to her, dropping down to his knees in front of her in defeat. His eyes were pleading with her, his voice betraying him by coming out soft and a little desperate.

"Caroline, please, say something."

Her eyes snapped up to his, "Don't do it."

"I have to, for you and our son. Marcel has been watching you while I was inside, love, he knows you are my weakness. I can't lose you, Caroline, I can't be the reason my family is in danger." Klaus replied, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Did you ever think that I'm the one that can't lose you?" She asked, "I don't even know what's happening between us right now but I know I need you in my life, Klaus. You can't do this to me again." There was a stray tear rolling down her tear and Elijah felt very uncomfortable, like he was intruding on a private moment between the pair.

Klaus took her face in his hands, his thumb wiping the tear from her cheek, "I'll come home to you, Caroline. I'll always come home to you." She was fighting back the tears and Klaus held her firmer, trying to convey so much with such a simple action, "I need you on my side, sweetheart. I have no right to ask it of you but I need to know that I'm fighting for something real."

"No," She replied, one of her hands resting on top of his, "We're fighting for something real. You're not doing this alone." She continued looking at him, "We're doing this as a family."

Elijah nodded, "You will always have your family, Niklaus. No matter how hard you try to push us away."

"I was keeping you safe." Klaus protested weakly.

Caroline's hand squeezed his lightly, "Let's save each other instead."

/

It was gone midnight as Elijah parked his car on a small side street on the other side of town. It was a Friday night and he was late for his usual appointment, he knew he was in for it when he noticed the flash of curtains on the first floor, the lights still on in apartment that had become familiar to him.

Elijah sighed before stepping out of the car, smoothing down his suit jacket out of habit as he made his way over to the brown door opposite him. The flowers in the window box looked a little dry and he almost smiled at the thought of the occupant actually watering the flowers.

He knocked twice, knowing she was still up. He heard shuffling from the other side of the wood before the door swung open, her face a picture of anger, her purple silk robe hanging off one shoulder.

"You're late." She commented drily.

Elijah offered her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, family emergency. I got away as soon as I could."

"We've been doing this a while now, Elijah, surely you have thought of a better excuse than paperwork?" She asked with a smirk as she led him into the house.

He followed, shutting the door behind him before entering the living room, "I thought it was an easier explanation than 'I'm liaising with our sworn enemy in the courtroom.'"

She smiled, wrapping her hands around his tie seductively, "Sworn enemy? Is that what I am now? Here I thought we were getting serious?"

"You are the lead prosecutor to our defence. The only woman who can play Damon Salvatore at his own game." He replied, his hands settling on her hips.

"Perhaps, but we seem to work well together in… certain settings."

"And I make a rule never to mix business with pleasure." Elijah reminded her.

"Well then, let's skip the business and get down to the pleasure." She laughed, "After all you need to make up for lost time and I have a meeting at 8 tomorrow."

Elijah dropped his head down to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry, Katerina. I'm very good at my job."

Katherine pushed his jacket off his shoulders, "I know." She smirked.

Elijah wasted no time in kissed her deeply, his hands pulling at the tie on her robe, dropping it to the floor to reveal her naked form to him. Katherine nipped at his mouth, pushing him down onto the couch as she rid him of the rest of his clothes.

This had become a well-rehearsed dance between them now and Elijah's best kept secret.

No one would take it well if they knew the head of Mikaelson and Associates, the best defence attorneys in town was bedding Katherine Pierce. She was the founder of Pierce Lawyers, one of the best prosecution firms around.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! They mean so much to me and always manage to make me smile! Thank you all so much for that!

Next time we have another flashback, Marcel steps up his game and we find out who Klaus is getting to be his back-up!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey everyone! Another chapter! Because we all need to remember the beauty of Klaroline and why we will always ship it!

/

Klaus sighed as he walked down the abandoned back alley that led to the docks, Caroline and Elijah had dispersed after he told them about his deal with Marcel and Klaus couldn't blame them for wanting to be as far away from him as possible. Caroline could barely look at him after he told her and as she left the room she told him she needed time to sort her head out. He respected her decision, he always did, but there a little voice in the back of his mind that said he had already lost her. Caroline wasn't weak, she wouldn't pander to him because he asked her to and that was one of the many reasons he loved her. She agreed to fight with him, to deal with the situation as a family but Klaus knew he was the one with the most at stake. Caroline knew it too, she just didn't want to say it.

If he had never met her in that coffee shop, never spoke to her and fell in love with her his life would be easier. Marcel wouldn't be betraying him because he thought Klaus had gone soft. Niklaus Mikaelson would still be the most feared name in Chicago, his masterpieces turning up all over town, leaving the police stumped and angry at themselves for not catching him sooner. He wasn't meant to have a love like Caroline, a family, a prospect of happiness.

Klaus thought back to all those times as a child when his father would tell him he was useless and worthless. It was the main reason he turned to a criminal life, a way of rebelling against his father, an outlet for his hatred. Klaus was definitely ruthless before he met her. Then Caroline changed everything, bringing out that little bit of humanity he had left. It was when he was with Caroline that he felt the complete opposite of what his father thought he was. She had seen the good in him, had given him a chance. She didn't even run when he told her what he was, the things he was capable of.

She was everything to Klaus.

Liam only added to his love of her, she had given him a son and a family of his own and she watched as he unknowingly threw it all away. She didn't have to let him back in, let him be a part of Liam's life and Klaus had to admire how difficult it was for her to do. She was pushing all her fears and insecurities about him away so he could have a relationship with Liam. Klaus never thought about how difficult it would be for her, to hear nothing from him for five years and have him turn up on her doorstep one day declaring to get her back at all costs.

Of course she was freaking out.

Then to top it all off he dragged her back into his old life. The life he vowed to leave behind to start over with her and Liam. He was breaking all his promises to her in a short amount of time, it suddenly became clear to him why she was having such a hard time trusting him. Yet, she was strong enough to stand beside him when he asked, to offer him the support he needed to protect their family.

Klaus knew better than to make the same mistake twice, he wouldn't lose her. Maybe he didn't deserve her, but he'd be damned if he was going to let her go. The feelings they had for each other didn't just disappear because she didn't want to think about them. He just needed to make her realise that.

He also had to deal with Marcel.

He was Niklaus Mikaelson and he wasn't about to let Marcel walk all over him. He definitely wasn't about to sign up for a job if he couldn't trust anyone around him. There was too much at stake this time, too many things were dependant on this going off without a hitch.

He was already dialling a familiar number from his past by the time his thought process had ended, a sigh heavy in the air as he listened to the phone ring out.

He smirked as he heard the voice at the other end of the line, "Hello?"

"Hey, mate. How soon can you get to Chicago? I need a business partner and I seem to remember a time when we worked well together."

/

Klaus knew something was off the minute he walked into the office at the docks, Marcel and his men gathered together clutching beer bottles. Some of the men were faceless to Klaus, new faces he hadn't seen before but there were a few he remembered Marcel worked with before. Marcel was the first to notice him, a smile forming on his lips as he announced Klaus' presence to the rest of the room.

"Klaus!" He said loudly, "I was just telling the guys that you were back. A few of them aren't happy about your departure though."

Klaus smirked drily, "Well, It's a good thing I could care less what they think then."

"Now don't be like that, I taught them about the consequences of someone turning their back on us. The guys here think you deserve the same treatment." Marcel explained as he put down his bottle walking over to where Klaus was standing.

"You've been giving your followers the wrong lessons," Klaus smirked, "The right lesson would be what would happen to them if they dare to challenge me."

One of the men in the room piped up, "We are loyal to Marcel." He called out and Klaus vaguely remembered his name as Diego.

"Ignorant and stupid," Klaus commented, "What have I told you about bring back riff-raff?" The last statement was directed at Marcel but the other men in the room weren't happy by the implication.

"Who made you King?" One shouted out causing the others to cheer in agreement.

Klaus smiled devilishly then, "Finding Marcel in a gutter and making him what he is today for one." He replied, "And how I deal with problems and threats against me. Do you remember that group from Indiana, Marcel? Now that was a masterpiece. The town square was flowing with blood, it ran all the way down to the church."

"The people thought it was a sign from God." Marcel nodded without humour.

Klaus laughed, "The press had a field day with that one. I laid the scene out so creatively too, it took a lot of thought to get it looking just right."

Sometimes it felt too easy to slip back into this man, the one that was capable of doing such things to people who betrayed him. Who found art in the murder of his victims and creativity in the methods of torture he used. The man Caroline was disgusted of, the man she would never admit to fearing. That thought made the bile rise in his throat.

No, that wasn't him anymore. It hadn't been since he met her and as long as her and Liam were in his life, he wouldn't become that man again.

"Still, that was a long time ago. The guys need payback and I did promise them it." Marcel sighed, "Nothing personal, Klaus, just business." He smirked as he walked out with nothing more than a wave over his shoulder.

Klaus wasn't a fool, he knew from the moment he stepped foot in his room what was going to happen. Marcel had always been a bit cliché and predictable, his men would simply follow his orders. This one in particular was suicide for them but Klaus didn't think it was fair to mention that. Marcel wanted a show, he wanted to know he could manipulate Klaus. For Caroline and Liam's sake as well as his own Klaus had to play along, he had to let Marcel believe he had the upper hand.

If it was a show he wanted, Klaus would make it the best performance he could.

He waited for a moment, acutely aware of the other men in the room, his eyes trained on the little details. Some were shaking, some were cocky and over confident, clearly not having witnessed Klaus' anger first hand. Other were cautiously waiting, abiding there time until they made a move to follow Marcel's order.

To attack Klaus.

After the first one advanced, the others soon followed and even though he was severely outnumbered Klaus was holding his own. He dodged punches and kicks effortless, the fights from prison having taught him a few new moves that these men wouldn't see coming. Klaus took a punch to the gut, the motion winding him before he reeled back, throwing his own punch at the nearest man. He smiled as he heard the satisfying crunch of bone beneath his fist and he knew he had broken a jaw.

The hits kept coming and Klaus made sure his counter attack was as good as he got, some men were already sprawled on the floor and Klaus hoped for their sake's they were smart enough not to get back up again. A kick to his chest had him stumbling back, a faceless man slamming Klaus against the wall with force. Klaus quickly head butted him, sending the man crashing to the floor as two more advanced on him.

His head was pounding and there was too much adrenaline in his system for Klaus to even focus on pain right now. His instinct was fight, so he fought. His attacks were vicious ad sharp, mercy not a word he had ever learnt to practise.

He didn't see the man sneak up behind him with a broken bottle but Klaus felt the sharpness cut into his flesh. He didn't make a sound though, gritting his teeth as he turned round, grabbing the bottle in the man's hands before he could blink. He shoved it hard into the guy's stomach, a smirk across his features as the guy gasped, blood pouring between them as Klaus threw him to the ground.

Klaus could feel the blood on his face, a mix of his and Marcel's men along with his blood soaked shirt which was sticking to him and the wound on his rib from the bottle. Klaus' eyes were fixed on the men on the floor, some dead; some unconscious; none he felt guilty about.

The ones that were still able to fight weren't attacking him though, their eyes were wide as they watched him. The Hybrid, the man who had single handedly beat their friends and allies. The fear was clear across their features and Klaus merely smirked at them. Marcel wanted the Hybrid, that was exactly what he got. He should have known better than to use his own men as bait, Klaus didn't do mercy.

"Who's next?" He asked innocently, his hands raised.

The men were stumbling over each other to get to the door, fighting amongst themselves to get out of the slaughterhouse that had become Marcel's office. Klaus did nothing, letting them run back to Marcel and tell him of Klaus' actions.

The best way to prove the Hybrid was back was to show Marcel exactly what he wanted to see.

Klaus picked up the nearest beer bottle, taking a swig from it as he walked out into the crisp night air. Now the fighting was over he registered the pain from his injuries. His head was pounding, his vision dizzy as he stumbled down the street. That was nothing compared to the pain exploding through his side. He could feel the blood drying against his shirt, the wound stinging with every step he took.

Klaus was use to pain, his father use to beat him, prison only furthered his torture. This was nothing to him really, but pain always felt worse when he was experiencing it. He didn't let it show on his face as he zipped his jacket up and began the walk home, ignoring the pain coursing through him as he did.

/

Caroline sipped her wine slowly, her feet stretched out on the couch in front of her as she watched a mindless reality show on TV. It was a very rare moment of peace in her busy life, Liam was staying at Rebekah's tonight as she was taking him to the zoo the next day. Elijah was still at work and Caroline guessed he wouldn't be back for some time judging by the stressed out looks on his and Damon's face as she left the office earlier. She didn't even what to think about what Klaus doing, the thought was scaring her and worrying her in equal measure.

Sometimes dealing with Klaus was exhausting, every time they took a step forward there were three steps back. It was her fault as much as his but with all the push and pull between them it wasn't easy trying to figure out what she wanted.

Marcel definitely didn't help matters either. She had never met the man personally, Klaus never wanted her to get involved with Marcel and she was more than happy not to meet the man encouraging Klaus' criminal life. She accepted who he was, she loved him enough for it not to matter but that didn't mean it didn't scare her sometimes.

Some nights she would lie awake, staring at the ceiling waiting for Klaus to come home. She needed to know he was okay before she could even think about getting any sleep, she needed him curled up with her so she could see for herself. Marcel scared her more than Klaus ever did, maybe it was because she had never met him but from the way Klaus talked about him and his recent actions, Caroline couldn't help but wonder if they was anything Marcel wouldn't do for power.

Klaus had a limit, it didn't make him a better man but it helped, there was a certain point he wouldn't go to. Granted that limit was a lot greater that most and she had listened to him tell her about things he had done that shocked her on more than one occasion. She knew Klaus would stop, he didn't crave power as badly as he used to, especially not anymore. The same couldn't be said for Marcel.

She had seen it many times, represented thousands of different people and she knew it didn't matter whether they were guilty or not. To a jury all the mattered was how far they believed the defendant would go in that situation to get what they wanted.

Caroline heard a fumbling sound outside the front door, the sound of a key struggling in the lock. She knew it was either Klaus or Elijah and placed her wine down to open the door for them.

She gasped in shock and horror as she opened the door to reveal Klaus, he was sweaty and covered in blood, his eyes drawn as he looked at her.

"Klaus?" She whispered, her voice wavering slightly.

Klaus tried to give her a weak smile but it came out as a grimace, "You should see the others guys." He tried to joke before stumbling. Caroline helped him up, one of her arms around his waist to support his weigh as Klaus placed his arm round her shoulders.

"What happened to you?" She asked as she guided him in the house, Klaus stopped her though, his eyes scanning the stairs.

"Liam?" he asked, not wanting his son to see him like this.

"He's with Rebekah. I'm the only one here." Caroline told him. The answer seemed to calm Klaus slightly as he let Caroline led him upstairs, his grip on her tightening with each step until they reached the bathroom.

"Klaus, what happened?" Caroline asked again as she helped him sit on the toilet lid before running the hot tap, filling the sink up with clean water.

Klaus gritted his teeth as he zipped his jacket, the action jostling his ribs, "Marcel's men. Marcel wanted me to prove I was back."

"Marcel did this to you?" Caroline asked softly, her eyes meeting his.

"It's nothing, sweetheart. I'm fine." Klaus promised.

Caroline let out a short laugh, "You're not fine, Nik. You're bleeding."

"Caroline," Klaus said, drawing her attention from his side to his face, "I'm okay."

She didn't say anything at first, shaking her head to try and get her emotions together, "We need to get these off." She replied instead.

She pushed the jacket down his arms gently, letting it drop to the ground before her hands found the hem of his Henley, they both ignored her shaking hands. Caroline lifted it slowly, the material peeling away from his skin, inch by inch. Klaus groaned as it separated from the open wound by his ribs, ignoring the pain as he lifted his arms to help Caroline remove his shirt.

"Why is it whenever I get injured it results in you seeing me naked?" Klaus smirked, "You know you could just ask, love."

Caroline glared at him, "Don't worry you can keep your pants on this time."

She cleaned the wound as gently as she could with a fresh cloth, Klaus still flinched with every dab though. Caroline bit her lip, one hand on his leg to calm him while she cleaned the rest of the blood from his torso and chest.

She didn't look at him, her eyes trained on the task at hand. She hated how good she was at this, dealing with him when he came home covered in blood. It was the first time she realised just how dangerous he was, the first time she realised how different the Hybrid was from her Klaus.

_It was two in the morning when she opened her door to find Klaus in the entryway. He was covered in blood, splatter marks all over his face and his clothes were stained in it. His eyes were locked on her but hers where fixed on the blood that clung to him. _

"_Caroline," He called gently, "I didn't know where else to go." He sounded lost and a little shaken and Caroline knew he was letting her see him vulnerable. _

_She didn't say anything, she couldn't. Her eyes still trained on the blood stains._

"_I can go," Klaus said, "I don't know why I came here. You shouldn't have to…"_

"_Did you kill someone?" Was the first question out of her mouth, her voice sounding curious instead of scared. _

_Klaus looked down, "Yes."_

"_Who?" It didn't matter now but she still wanted to know. _

"_A man who killed a friend of mine." Klaus replied and Caroline nodded once, "I shouldn't be here."_

"_You're not going anywhere, Nik." She responded as she grabbed his hand, leading him inside her apartment, past her bedroom until they were standing in her cramped bathroom. _

_Klaus met her eyes for the first time that night, "I'm a monster, Caroline. You can say it."_

"_You're not a monster, Klaus."_

"_How can you be so understanding? I just told you I killed someone, stop being understanding." Klaus burst out suddenly startling her. _

_Caroline's voice was louder, "What do you want me to say? That I'm freaking out? That I'm scared of you? Of course I am! You're covered in blood that clearly isn't yours so no I don't understand." _

"_Then why did you let me inside?" _

_She sighed, "I love you." Her voice was softer now, "I love you so much it scares me. I'm not scared that you would hurt me, Klaus, I'm scared I'm going to lose you. I'm scared that you have this effect on me, like you consume me or something."_

"_Trust me, love, you've turned my life upside down." Klaus said, taking a step towards her, "So much so I'm not sure about anything anymore other than how much I love you."_

_Caroline smiled, "You need a shower." She said gently unbuttoning his shirt softly. Klaus let her, his eyes closing as her hands glided over his chest, pushing the shirt off his shoulders. They snapped open as she undid his pants, pushing them and his boxers to the floor so he was naked in front of her. _

_Caroline turned on the hot water in the shower before stripping down herself. She took Klaus' hand and led him under the spray before grabbing soap and a sponge, busying herself with the task of cleaning the blood from his skin, watching as it turned the water pink. _

_After their shower Caroline pulled him into her bed, pushing him down on her mattress. Klaus did what she wanted, climbing under her covers without a word as Caroline turned off the light. She crawled in next to him, her body melting against his as she wrapped herself around him. _

"_Don't leave me." Klaus said so quietly Caroline barely heard it. _

_She smiles sadly in the dark, wondering how broken he really is underneath his tough surface, "I'm not going anywhere." She promised as he held her tighter. _

/

So what do you think? A rather dramatic chapter! Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! I am so in awe of the love and support you guys give this story and it really inspires me to write!

Thank you!

Next chapter we see a Caroline/Elijah talk, some more Liam, Klaroline getting closer and the identity of Klaus' help is finally revealed!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey everyone! It's a new chapter! I hope you like it, we get some Klaroline development in this one as well as other things! Enjoy!

/

"Now, how did I know I would find you cooped up in here with a stack of paperwork?" Elijah said as he entered Caroline's office. The blonde was slumped at her desk with her hair messily tied up as she sifted through the papers in front of her. She offered Elijah a wary smile as she saw him, her eyes moving back down to her papers as she heard Elijah close the door, walking further into the room.

"I thought I would get a head start," Caroline explained absentmindedly, shuffling through her paperwork, "I still have to go over everything for next week's trial and make sure the defendant is happy with everything."

She was avoiding the real topic on both their minds and Elijah knew it, "Talk to me." He asked with narrow eyes, looking at her sceptically.

"I am, aren't you listening." She laughed, "I think you need to grab a coffee, Elijah. It's all systems go today, especially with the charity event coming up. I need to get Rebekah to help pick out a dress."

"Caroline," He pressed, taking the papers from her hands so the blonde was forced to look at him, "Am I to believe that your current state and the amount of time you have been locked in your office these last few days doesn't have anything to do with Marcel and Niklaus' injuries?"

Caroline sighed, "I don't get what's wrong with me, Elijah."

"I don't follow." He replied, confusion etched into his features.

"I'm used to seeing Klaus like that, it's not the first time he has arrived home in a bad way. I patch him up, and I guess I found a way to deal with it, you know?" Caroline said, "But when he came home the other day… I was scared, Elijah. Marcel's guys cracked his rib and I know Klaus can handle himself but…"

Elijah nodded, "You don't want to lose him."

"I shouldn't be feeling like that, though. We aren't together anymore, I said I was done, I put it behind me." Caroline replied, her outburst making her voice louder, "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. I see Klaus and every defence I have collapses."

"You love him, Caroline. As much as he loves you."

She gave out a short laugh, "So everyone keeps telling me."

"You don't agree?" Elijah questioned.

"I… I'll always love him, Elijah. I'm just not sure I can do that anymore, it's messy and complicated."

"That doesn't mean it's wrong." Elijah reasoned, "I've seen you together and apart, Caroline. You need each other, and I honestly can't believe you are throwing away the chance to get everything you wanted."

She was silent for a moment, contemplating Elijah's words, "I did have everything I want, and Klaus threw that away, not me."

"He did it out of love. He thought he was protecting you. That was the most selfless thing he has ever done. Mikael always told him he wasn't capable of love, he didn't deserve it. Our father was a man in love with his job rather than his family and Niklaus got the brunt of that."

"What do I do?"

"Tell him everything, lay it all out on the table and see what happens. What have you got to lose that isn't already at risk?"

/

It was late when Klaus heard small footsteps from behind him, his eyes moved from the mindless action film he was pretending to watch. Every time he tried to focus on the film a certain blonde crept into his thoughts, consuming every part of his mind.

Liam was standing in the doorway of the living room, one hand rubbing his eyes tiredly as he yawned. His hair was messy from sleep, his pyjamas wrinkled. Klaus gave him a friendly smile as he muted the film and turned his attention to his son.

"Hey, mate. What are you doing up?" He asked softly, watching as Liam shuffled closer to the couch.

The boy shrugged, "I couldn't sleep." He replied simply before climbing sluggishly onto the couch, snuggling into Klaus' side.

Klaus could tell Liam hadn't been awake long, the boy was drowsy and Klaus knew he would probably be asleep again in a few minutes.

"I guess I can let you stay up for a little while." Klaus smiled, grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch to wrap around Liam.

"Mom does too, she makes warm milk." Liam replied, his eyes drooping.

Klaus chuckled softly, "Something tells me you will be asleep before the milk is ready."

Liam shook his head, "I'm not tired, dad." He protested weakly causing Klaus to chuckle.

"Of course not." He replied before leaning down to kiss Liam's head softly.

They were silent for a while, Liam's eyes dropping as he fought to keep them open. Klaus listened to the sound of his breathing, relishing in the life he and Caroline had created together.

"Do you love mom?" Liam asked eventually, his voice so small Klaus strained to hear it.

He paused for a second, "Of course I love your mom, Liam. With everything I have."

"She loves you too, Uncle 'Lijah and Aunt 'Bekah both say so." Liam replied, "Does that mean you guys will get your happy ending?"

Klaus smiled at his son's innocence, "I don't know." He replied honestly, "We have a long way to go."

"But you're not giving up, right?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, mate." Klaus vowed and the answer seemed to satisfy Liam as the boy fell silent once more.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes later when Klaus heard Liam's breathing even out, soft snores coming from the boy curled up against him. He smiled softly, seeing Liam was asleep again before moving to boy into his arms gently, not wanting to wake up. Liam didn't even stir as Klaus scooped him up, his head against Klaus' shoulder as he took the boy back to his room.

Klaus set Liam down on his bed, making sure the boy's grey wolf was within reach if he needed it before pulling the covers over him. Liam shuffled on the bed, getting comfortable as Klaus tucked him in, placing a kiss on his forehead as one hand smoothed down his son's curls.

"You and your mom are the best things to ever happen to me." He whispered softly, knowing Liam couldn't hear him, "I promise you're going to have the happy life I never had, Liam."

Klaus left the room quietly, taking one last look at his sleeping son before closing the door behind him. He turned round to find Caroline standing in the hall, her hair mused from sleep wearing a simple pair of lacy pyjama shorts and a vest top. Klaus tried not to look at her smooth legs, remembering the feeling of them as he ran his hands up her thigh.

"Is everything okay?" She asked softly, more alert than Liam had been when he woke up.

Klaus nodded, "Yes, Liam couldn't sleep so he found me in the living room. I was just putting him back to bed."

"Did he tell you he wasn't tired?" Caroline smiled brightly and Klaus laughed.

"Protested it quite adamantly."

"He is definitely your son, Klaus. Just as stubborn."

Klaus smiled, "He tell me not to give up on you. He thinks you love me in spite of all I've done."

Caroline stilled for a moment, "I think he watches too much Disney."

"You're avoiding the statement, love." Klaus pointed out.

"I'm being rational." Caroline replied, her voice bristling slightly. She sighed at the flash of hurt on Klaus' face though he covered it quickly, "It's late, and we should get some rest."

"Don't do that. Don't cheapen what we mean to each other by running away every time I get close to you." Klaus said, his eyes pleading with her.

"You broke me." She whispered softly, unshed tears in her eyes.

Klaus nodded sadly, "I know. I'll build you back up to because I'm that much of a bastard. I cannot bear it if you walk away from me, Caroline. No matter how much I deserve it."

"I'm scared. You scare me." She replied, their noses brushing with each breath. She can't remember when they got that close but she didn't want to move. This was comforting, familiar. "The way I love you scares me."

"I've got you." He promised, his eyes searching hers for any sign of her running in the opposite direction. Caroline stood her ground, her lips parted as she watched him.

Klaus ducked his head down slowly, giving her time to back away if she wanted. It felt like years until his lips were touching hers, the kiss soft and hesitant. Caroline followed his lead, neither making a move to change the kiss. One of Klaus' hands came up to cup her face gently, like he was scared of breaking her. Caroline wrapped her arms around his middle, kissing him eagerly.

She broke the kiss first, Klaus resting his forehead against her own as they tried to control their breathing. They were both smiling at each other, wrapped up together in their own little world.

"I'm not asking for everything right now, sweetheart. Just time, give me time to prove to you I'm not going anywhere." Klaus whispered softly, his thumb gliding across her cheek.

Caroline nodded mutely, "I think I can do that."

/

Klaus sipped his black coffee as his eyes scanned the room of the little coffee shop he was sitting in. It was the same one he met Caroline in, his eyes drawn to the booth to his right where he first saw her, books everywhere and not a care in the world. Caroline wasn't the one he was meeting though, the coffee shop was acting as a mutual zone for him to meet up with his back-up against Marcel. An old favour from an old friend he hadn't spoken to in years. They had been friends once, close friends until they went their separate ways all thanks to Mikael.

He saw the flash of a red car, a classic, pull up outside from his seat and smiled. The reunion had begun.

Klaus watched with a smirk as the door opened, a man stepping inside wearing dark jeans, a grey V-neck top and a black jacket. His hair was the first thing to be seen though, styled and perfectly groomed, some things never change.

"Klaus," He greeted as he dropped into the seat next to him, "You better have a good reason for calling me to Chicago. Portland is lovely this time of year."

"Stefan." Klaus smirked, tipping his head slightly, "I apologise for the interruption, Ripper but I need your help."

"Last I heard, you were serving time for a job gone wrong." Stefan commented.

Klaus nodded, "Now, I'm out."

"And I'm here because you needed to relive the glory days?"

"Quite the opposite actually," Klaus laughed, "Marcellus wasn't happy when I told him I was done with our line of work."

Stefan nodded, "The great Hybrid goes into retirement. I didn't think you would ever give all that up."

"I have a family." Klaus explained, "A son and Caroline if she will forgive me."

"I remember her, nice girl. She was good for you." Stefan replied.

"Marcel threatened them, I need to finish this job with him and then I get to walk away."

Stefan frowned then, "Since when do you play by other people's rules?"

"I don't. Marcel is up to something, he has wanted me out the way for years and when he gets what he wants suddenly I'm needed to do one last job?" Klaus question.

"You don't trust him." Stefan concluded, "That's why you called me."

"I know we left things rather abrupt but I trust you to watch my back instead of stab me in it." Klaus nodded.

"Are you forgetting I am meant to be laying low?" Stefan questioned, "Your father and his lackeys are still looking for me, Klaus. The Ripper suddenly shows up in Chicago again and it's going to attract unwanted attention."

"I haven't seen my father in years, just before that last job. I don't even know if he is still in Chicago." Klaus explained, "I know what I'm asking, Stefan but it's my family at risk here."

Stefan sighed for a moment, "I'll help you, Klaus. You saved my life last time I was in town and I owe you for that."

"I appreciate that, mate."

"Yeah, just do me a favour and call someone else next time your protégé turns against you." Stefan replied, "And don't tell Damon I'm in town."

"You still haven't straightened that out?"

"He stole my girlfriend." Stefan pointed out.

Klaus nodded, "And defended you when you got arrested for killing that girl. The only reason you're not in jail is because of Damon."

"Why do you care? You don't even like Damon."

"I admit he isn't on my Christmas card list but I'm starting to realise just how important family is and what an idiot I was for almost destroying mine." Klaus admitted, his eyes glued to the black coffee in his mug.

Stefan let out a sigh and slapped a hand on his shoulder, "Who are you and what did you do with the ruthless, arrogant Hybrid I use to know?" He chuckled softly.

/

So what do you think? Stefan is going to help Klaus but he will be darker in this story, you'll learn more about that and his relationship with Damon in later chapters.

Favourite line/scene?

Please review! They put a smile on my face and really make my day! Thank you so much!

Next chapter we see the charity event, Klaroline getting closer and some more Kalijah!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey guys, no long authors note! We are at 200! Thank you so much for that, this chapter is a special treat for you all! Enjoy!

/

Caroline heard Rebekah before she saw her. The blonde Mikaelson's voice calling her name in excitement as she made her way into the kitchen where Caroline and the rest of the family where having lunch together. Rebekah smiled at them all in greeting before waving a black garment bag in Caroline's face with glee.

"Guess what I have!" Rebekah exclaimed proudly.

It was Liam that answered, "A present!"

Everyone in the room chuckled, "Sort of, this one is for your mom, though." Rebekah replied, ruffling Liam's hair with her free hand, "It's the dress for tonight, I went for blue to bring out your eyes."

"Rebekah, it's a charity event, it's about donating money for a good cause." Caroline reminded her taking the bag from Rebekah's hand.

"That doesn't mean you can wear any old thing. Honestly, Caroline, what would you do with me."

Caroline smiled, "Look terrible every day, no doubt." She replied, "I still don't understand why we have this thing every year. Damon is formally protesting."

"I denied his protest." Elijah said from behind his coffee mug, "And I personally got him a suit so he has no choice but to attend. I need everyone from the firm there."

"We're lawyers, Elijah, not performing monkeys." Caroline sighed.

Elijah gave her a sideways smirk, "I quite agree but this event is an opportunity for more clients and makes Mikaelson and Associates a good name. Who doesn't want to be represented by a charitable law firm."

"I still agree with Damon." Caroline smiled.

"And like Damon you still have to attend." Elijah quipped back.

Klaus and Rebekah watched the interaction between the two with interest, Liam happily munching on his sandwich, "Who are you going with tonight?" Rebekah asked, her question directed at Caroline.

"No one, I didn't go with anyone last year." Caroline replied with a frown.

"Last year, you technically went with Elijah." Rebekah pointed out, "I mean you carpooled and everything."

"That doesn't count." Caroline insisted, "Right, Elijah?"

The eldest Mikaelson set down in mug carefully, "I didn't think so but since Rebekah helped organise tonight I have been told to follow her rules."

Caroline sighed, "Perfect. So you're my wing man tonight?" She said hopefully.

Rebekah laughed, "He didn't tell you? He already has someone. It's quite the scandal."

"Who?" Caroline asked in shock, her eyes wide.

"Katherine Pierce is accompanying me this evening." Elijah replied, calm and collected.

Caroline nearly chocked, "Katherine Pierce? The head of the top prosecution firm in Chicago? That Katherine Pierce?"

"Tonight she is simply coming as my plus one." Elijah informed her.

"Elijah!" Caroline smiled, "You're totally scr…" she stopped in the middle of her sentence, her eyes drifting to Liam who was still happily eating his sandwich. "I mean, good for you Elijah. It's about time you got some."

"Got some what?" Liam asked round a mouth full of sandwich.

Klaus' eyes met Caroline's briefly before he spoke, "Got some friends." He lied smoothly, a smirk aimed at Elijah's direction.

"I'm your friend, Uncle 'Lijah." Liam insisted causing the family to laugh. The boy frowned, clearly missing the inside joke before taking another bite of his sandwich.

The happy atmosphere around the kitchen was broken by Rebekah, the blonde pinching Caroline's arm to draw her attention, "Seriously, who are you taking. You can't show up with just anyone and I am not letting you be seen with Jesse." Rebekah said as she pretended to shudder at the thought, "The way that boy moons over you is rather tragic. He'd be cute if it wasn't for that."

Caroline sighed, "Don't be mean, Rebekah."

Rebekah merely smirked, "But it's so much fun."

Liam broke the glares between his mother and Aunt, his voice clear in the otherwise silent kitchen, "Mom, you have to let dad take you." The boy exclaimed, looking between his two parents with large eyes.

"Liam, what…" Caroline stuttered, her sentence trailing as her eyes locked onto Klaus.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Rebekah chimed in, the excitement evident on her face, "I'll even babysit Liam tonight so you can go."

Liam nodded rapidly, "That's how it happens in the stories. The hero dances with the princess and they fall in love."

Klaus smirked, "Listen, mate, your mom is definitely a princess but I'm certainly not a hero."

"But you want to go with her, right dad?" Liam asked, peering at his father.

Klaus was looking at Caroline as he spoke, "More than anything."

"So ask me." Caroline smiled, she hadn't really spoken to Klaus since their kiss and her agreement to give him time to prove he was here to stay. She had promised herself she would stop running from Klaus and her feelings for him though and now seemed like a perfect time to put that plan into action.

Klaus smiled as he moved off his chair, coming to stand in front of her as he took her hand in his own, "Caroline Forbes, may I escort you this evening?" he asked as he kissed her hand, well aware the eyes of the rest of their family were on them.

Caroline bit her lip softly to stop the smile creeping onto her face, "Yes, Mr Mikaelson, I believe you can."

/

Klaus had to pull a suit out of Elijah's wardrobe as there was no time to go shopping for his own. Rebekah helped him pick out a colour and style that would go well with Caroline's dress before dashing off to help the blonde do her hair and make-up. Klaus smiled nervously as he knotted his tie around his neck, feeling the same nerves that hit him the first time he took Caroline on a date. That affair was a lot more personal and relaxed than this one but he would take what he could get.

He was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for Caroline in record time. Elijah had left a little while earlier to pick up Katherine and Klaus knew Caroline would be grilling his brother about that relationship they second they got a moment alone. Rebekah and Liam had just left, planning to spend the evening at Rebekah's apartment watching movies and no doubt eating junk food Caroline wouldn't approve of.

His rib from Marcel's beating was healing well along with the painkillers he had taken that morning and Klaus knew in a week or so he wouldn't even be able to see the bruising on his side. He self-consciously brushed down his suit jacket, making sure he looked the part in the black tux that Rebekah had chosen for him.

Klaus was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of heels clicked on the wooden staircase, his eyes moving upwards to meet Caroline's figure as she descended the stairs. She was beautiful, he had always known it of course but just the sight of her made his mouth run dry and his pants feel uncomfortable. He saw her killer black heels peeking out from under the bottom of her dress first, he smiled as he knew he would still be a little taller than her. Her dress was haunting, a dark blue fabric acted as an under layer, stopping at Caroline's mid-thigh. There was a black netted material draped over the blue though that was one shouldered, falling down around her ankles so her shapely legs were still partially visible underneath the fabric of the dress. She was smiled as she made her way towards him, her make-up was flawless and her hair was curled and elegant pinned up.

"You are breath-taking." Klaus murmured to her as Caroline took his hand, coming to join him at the bottom of the stairs.

She smiled and brushed his shoulder lightly, "You look rather dapper yourself."

"The car's out front, better not keep my brother waiting." Klaus smirked as he offered her his arm, Caroline looping hers through his own.

"We should get there before Damon drinks all the alcohol." Caroline mused as Klaus led her to the car.

They got there right on schedule and Caroline was immediately swept up with mingling. Klaus stayed by her side, one hand against the small of her back. She talked and laughed with ease, giving everyone a smile and a few minutes of her time. Klaus was stunned at how well she commanded a room, managing to make everyone her friend even if they had nothing in common. He noticed Damon had set up camp at the bar and nod him a nod in greeting which Damon returned. Klaus wondered what he would say if he knew Stefan was in town, would he be happy that his brother returned or worried about the trouble Stefan might get into that Damon would have to try and resolve?

Klaus whisked Caroline onto the dance floor after her second glass of champagne, twirling her into his arms effortlessly. Elijah and Katherine seemed to be enjoying a private conversation on the dance floor across from them but Klaus didn't focus on them. Instead his eyes were transfixed on the blonde beauty in his arms.

"Do you remember the first time we danced together?" He asked as he pulled her closer, moving Caroline around the room just like the rest of the couples. Theirs seemed more intimate somehow, like they were sharing an unspoken form of communication.

Caroline smiled, "It was a rainy Sunday night in the middle of the street as you were walking me home."

"That was the first time I realised I was in love with you. While we were dancing." Klaus told her, his lips grazing her ear softly.

"Klaus…"

"I wanted to be the one to say it first, that a beautiful, passionate, fierce woman had stolen my heart so that night while you were asleep I whispered it in your ear."

Caroline looked up at him softly, her eyes shining, "I never knew that."

"The first time I said it scared me, it was the only time I thought about running. You were changing me, turning me into a better man and I wasn't sure if I could live up to that." Klaus confessed softly, his hand strong against her back as he spun her.

"What stopped you?" Caroline asked curiously, eyes searching his own.

Klaus smiled, "You. You told me you loved me and I knew in that moment I wasn't going anywhere."

"It feels like a lifetime ago." Caroline mused as her hand squeezed his shoulder gently.

"I was a different man back then." Klaus nodded.

Caroline slid her hand down from his shoulder, her fingers delving underneath his jacket until her palm was flat over his heart, "You're still in there, Klaus. Don't lose it now."

He covered her hand with his own, "You're mistaken, love. My heart is definitely right here," he replied, moving his hand to brush over her cheek, "With you."

/

"They look happy." Katherine concluded as she looked over at Caroline and Klaus.

Elijah followed her eye line, "They both deserve it. They've been through hell and back to get here."

"That's what the best love stories are made of." Katherine smirked as Elijah pulled her closer to him, the music changing to a slower tempo.

"And the best tragedies." Elijah added with a wistful sigh.

Katherine narrowed her eyes then, her face moving back to look at his own, "You don't want them to be happy?"

"Of course I do. I also don't want either of them to get hurt and I fear they have a long way to go."

"I don't believe in love stories, Elijah but if I did I would be rooting for those two." Katherine said with a smile as Elijah twirled her out of his arms and back in again.

Elijah returned her smile, "I do believe I found your weak spot. You love a happy ending."

"No, that's definitely not it." Katherine scoffed.

"Oh, really?" Elijah asked, "So if I bring every happy romance film I can think of you won't feel the least bit happy?"

Katherine bit her lip, "You wouldn't."

Elijah only smiled as he twirled her once more, "You look stunning tonight." He complimented, Katherine's dress was purple and elegant, her brunette hair cascading down her back.

"And yet I feel like everyone is staring at me like they want to kill me." She responded, her eyes scanning the crowd.

"They're confused, you are the number one competition in this town."

"Is that what you see me as, Elijah?" Katherine asked softly.

Elijah placed his fingers under her chin softly, "I see you as a woman I have fallen for, Katerina."

"I think I'm falling for you too." She smiled as she leaned up to kiss him, not caring who was watching.

/

"Klaus, what are we doing out here? Elijah will be making his speech soon." Caroline said as Klaus led her out into the gardens of the hotel the function was being held at. The pathway was lit up with fairy lights, guiding the way to a fountain and a circle of benches.

"I just needed to say something and I wanted you to hear it." Klaus explained as he stopped in front of the fountain, the fairy lights casting a dimmed glow over the couple.

Caroline nodded, "Okay, I'm all ears."

"When I met you I knew you were going to ruin me," Klaus laughed, "You changed everything for me, Caroline and I found myself falling deeper in love with you. I had plans and things I wanted for us. I was going to show you the world." He paused to smile at her, "Then I got locked up and you had to raise our son by yourself and that only deepened my feelings for you. I can't explain them and I tried so many times to make them go away. I realise now I don't want them to, I want to spent the next 70 years with you, sweetheart and I don't even think that will be enough for me."

"Klaus…" Caroline whispered gently, tears in her eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is," Klaus cut her off, "I'm in love with our family, Caroline. Liam is perfect and I feel so lucky we have a son. I'm also completely, selfishly in love with you."

"You opened my eyes to feelings I never knew were possible. You gave me everything, Nik. You loved me with everything you had, you gave me a son and a family. You have given me something I would happily die for because I know I will never feel like this for anyone else." She smiled, "And that's okay because if they're not you then I don't want them."

"I bloody love you." Klaus smiled, his hands cupping her face softly.

"But it's not that simple…"

Klaus shook his head, "Just don't think, don't worry. Just feel."

Caroline eyes were looking into his stormy blue ones, her hands gripping the front of his jacket so hard her fingers were turning white, "Kiss me."

Klaus didn't hesitate as he closed the distance between them, taking her by surprise when he roughly pulled her up against his, kissing Caroline with all the passion he could muster.

This is what coming home felt like.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings? We are getting to the romance stuff now! :P

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! They mean so much to me and really do inspire me to continue!

Thank you!

Next chapter we have more Klaroline (of course!) and Damon tracking down Stefan, more of their relationship to be revealed!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Another chapter for you all! Thanks so much for all your comments last time, they blew me away with the encouragement and love! Enjoy!

/

The rest of the charity event seemed to pass in a blur to Caroline, the only thing on her mind was the feeling of Klaus' lips on her own and the hand he had kept firmly on the small of her back for most of the night. She felt that familiar tug of longing that she always felt around Klaus, that need that seemed to cancel everything else out.

They missed Elijah's speech. He didn't seem to notice their absence as they made out in the garden like a couple of teenagers though, his eyes were only looking for Katherine. Caroline had to smile at that, it had been a long time since Elijah had found happiness for himself and she hoped Katherine was a keeper. She had only met Katherine Pierce twice and both of those times it was because she was the prosecution on a case Caroline was defending. Katherine was good, quick witted in the courtroom and Caroline had to admire the lengths the brunette went to in order to help her clients. She was a good match for Elijah that was for sure.

It was around midnight when Caroline tugged on Klaus' arm, one look at him told Klaus everything he needed to know. She smiled tiredly, her head falling onto his shoulder slightly. Klaus smiled then, wrapping an arm around her.

"Let's get you home, love." He suggested and Caroline nodded gratefully. It had been a hell of a day and her feet were killing her. She sent a quick text to Elijah to let him know they were leaving. He would have to stay until the party wrapped up as he was head of Mikaelson and Associates and Caroline guessed he would be staying with Katherine tonight anyway.

Klaus drove them back home, the house empty as he opened the door, flicking on the lights as he went. Caroline slipped her shoes off, a small moan escaping her as her feet hit the floor.

"You should get some sleep, Caroline. You look exhausted." Klaus said softly, shrugging off his jacket and tie.

Caroline smiled playfully, "Just what every girl wants to hear."

"You are always beautiful, sweetheart." Klaus replied.

"Thank you, for today." Caroline said suddenly, "I had a really great time."

"As did I." Klaus smirked, "I can't help feeling like this was a date."

Caroline laughed, "I guess it was. The question is was it date one or date two-hundred and something?"

"What do you mean?" Klaus asked, his brows furrowing together slightly.

"Is this us starting again or picking up where we left off?" Caroline asked him, Klaus could tell it had been bothering her for a while.

He sighed, "I guess it's both. I can't start over and pretend I don't love you until we find our way to that point again."

"I'm already there, Nik." She assured him, "I just… I don't know how to act around you sometimes. Do I play it safe and pretend we're starting over and take things slowly or am I meant to think none of that matters because we've already done it. I already know everything about you and you know everything about me." Caroline rambled.

Klaus walked over to her, running his hands up and down her arms in a manner of comfort, "This is me you're talking you. Just do what your heart is telling you, love. You set the pace here."

Caroline nodded mutely and smiled slightly, "I forgot you could do that."

"Do what?"

"Calm me down. Make sense out of the chaos I create." She smiled.

Klaus smirked, kissing her forehead softly before leading her upstairs, "What are you doing?" Caroline asked in confusion as they climbed the stairs together.

"I'm walking you to your room." Klaus replied as if the answer was obvious.

"Why?"

"On a date I would walk you to your door, Caroline. This is your door." Klaus explained as he came to stop outside her bedroom door, his old bedroom door.

She smiled following his thoughts, "Now what?"

"I kiss you on the cheek and say 'Goodnight.'" Klaus replied roughly, doing what he just said. He leaned down to kiss her cheek, his slight stubble grazing her skin as his soft lips planted a lingering kiss on her cheek. Caroline closed her eyes at the action, pulling him closer for a brief moment before Klaus pulled back.

"Goodnight, Caroline." He smiled warmly as he stepped back. He didn't wait for her replied as he turned round, heading for his own bedroom door.

Caroline's eyes were trained on his back, the muscles moving under his white shirt. She didn't know what she was doing as she called his name softly into the quiet hall, "Klaus?"

He spun round instantly, his eyes on hers, "Yes, love?"

"I don't want to say goodnight." She whispered softly, taking a breath.

"I'm so glad you said that." Klaus replied, walking over to her quickly, his lips landing on hers eagerly.

Caroline gasped into the kiss, her lips moulding and moving against his own feverishly. She couldn't explain this need, this desire she had for him. It was like something making her gravitate towards him. She bit down on his lower lip softly causing Klaus to open up to her, his tongue curling with her own. His hands were everywhere, wondering along her back and down to her waist while Caroline's were around his neck, clinging to his shoulders as they kissed.

Klaus kissed his way down her throat, his lips finding her pulse point. Caroline shivered as he kissed her, sucking her skin every so often. She had dreamt about this for five years, every dream and flashback and dirty thought, none of it was as euphoric as the real thing.

The next thing she knew Klaus had lifted her off the ground, Caroline's legs wrapping around his waist, causing her dress to hitch up along her thighs. She thought she heard a distinctive tear but ignored it, choosing instead to fist a hand into his dirty blonde curls. Klaus' mouth was hard and passionate against her own, an air of desperation in his movements like he didn't know how long it would be before she pulled away.

He was kissing her with everything he had; every scar, fear and vulnerability laid bare to her. Caroline just gripped him tighter, kissing him harder, a silent response that she wasn't going to destroy him. Klaus' back hit the door of her bedroom as he pushed his way through it, his lips never leaving hers for more than a few seconds.

Caroline heard the door slam behind them as Klaus pressed her up against her, his erection firm against her abdomen. Caroline could only whimper in response, every sensation was electric, every kiss was setting her on fire and she knew her panties were already ruined.

Klaus didn't seem to be fairing much better, his lips trailing down her exposed shoulder and collarbone, needing to feel her. Caroline gripped his hair tighter, her legs squeezing him slightly causing Klaus to groan.

"Caroline," he panted, his voice rough and dangerous, "You need to tell me to stop if you don't want this."

She didn't respond, her lips moving down to attack his neck and jaw line. Klaus' eyes rolled back as he held her up against to wall, one hand on her backside while the other was on her thigh. He growled at her actions, the hand on her thigh moving to brace himself against the wall.

"I'm serious, sweetheart. Tell me to stop now or I won't be able to."

Caroline stopped her assault on his neck then, her eyes were darken by lust as she looked at him. She brushed over his cheek with her hand softly as she smiled, "I don't want you to stop, Nik. I need you."

That was enough for Klaus, he fused their lips together again, pushing away from the wall. He managed to steer them over to the bed, the same bed they had made love in countless times before, before dropping Caroline onto it. She let out a small giggle as she bounced, her eyes on Klaus as he kicked off his shoes and socks. Caroline reached from him eagerly, tugging him back to her as he settled over her.

Her hands quickly pulled his shirt from his trousers, undoing the buttons torturously slowly, her fingers exploring every new piece of skin she covered. By the time she finished the last button and pushed the shirt off his shoulders Klaus was a mess, pressing firmly against her as his hand got lost in her hair, freeing it from the pins she had in.

His other hand was moving down her leg, finding the edge of her dress before hiking it upwards as his fingers trailed along her smooth skin. His hand worked under the fabric of her dress, sliding past her hip and up her back, pressing her body up to his. He rid her of her dress quickly, lifting it over her head before throwing it over the other side of the room, leaving her in her underwear before him.

"You are so beautiful." He murmured, his lips trailing across her flat stomach and rib cage. There were a few faint marks that were evidence of her being a mother yet they only added to her beauty in his eyes, a reminder that they would always be a family.

Caroline moaned softly as his moved back up, ridding her of her bra before his lips closed over a nipple. She writhed against him them, her legs running over his calves. Klaus swirled the bud into his mouth before doing the same with the other one, he could feel the heat from her panties and it wasn't helping his own arousal.

Her feet made quick work of his trousers and Klaus didn't even know when she managed to undo his zipper before she was pushing them off him. He got out of the material quickly before crawling back over her, his kisses focusing on her inner thighs this time. Caroline whimpered softly, her legs quivering as Klaus slid her panties down her legs, her body bare before him.

The first stroke of his tongue was enough for her to lose focus, her head thrown to the side in ecstasy as he tasted her. She forgot how good he was at that, how amazing it felt to wrap her legs round his shoulders while his tongue lavished her.

She wasn't going to last long though, too much time had passed and she needed him like oxygen.

"Klaus." She breathed out as he sucked at her clit, "I want you inside me."

His eyes were dark as he looked up at her, the loss of friction to her burning core was almost painful, "You have no idea what you're doing to me, Caroline." He said gruffly, ridding himself of his boxers before joining his lips to hers, this kiss was all tongues and bruising.

He cut the kiss off abruptly, "Do you have…"

"I'm on the pill." She smiled, one hand using his necklaces to pull him back to her.

He entered her slowly, both gasping at the sensation of him filling her as her walls fluttered around him. Klaus moved slowly at first, Caroline's legs locked around his waist as she met him thrust for thrust.

"I love you." She said softly, the words tumbling from her lips with ease.

Klaus smiled, one of his hands reaching to tangle with one of hers, "I love you too." He replied, kissing her gently as he moved inside her.

Their climax came fast as their pleasure built, Klaus' thrusting increasing, pushing into Caroline harder and faster, the blonde was writhing underneath him, her hands scratching along his back as Klaus nipped at her neck.

They fell over the edge together, their names spilling from each other's lips like a declaration, an unspoken promise of home and love.

When Klaus pulled out of her, pulling Caroline into his arms she smiled. Caroline curled up against him, listening to his heart beat wildly.

She had her family back, her home back and her heart back.

"I feel like you're going to vanish if I close my eyes." She admitted softly, her worries voicing themselves in the darkness of the bedroom.

Klaus responded by placing a feather light kiss on her shoulder, the hand on her hip tightening.

"I'm right here, love. I'll always be right here." He promised as he held her.

/

Stefan groaned as he pulled his hood up to shield himself from the rain, he was only a block away from the motel he was staying at while he was in Chicago when the rain pelleted down around him. His thin jacket did little to protect him as rain splattered onto his clothes, seeping through the fabric to his skin.

If he was a superstitious man he would have taken it as a bad sign to him being in Chicago yet he knew the minute Klaus' number flashed up on his phone screen he would be back. Klaus had saved his life once, when he was nothing more than an addict with a violent side. It was Klaus who dusted him off and gave him a chance. People called him the Ripper back in Montreal and Stefan had to laugh at how gruesome the stories made him sound. He was like Klaus, a man with a dark past that was capable of doing terrible things to people, but the newspapers loved their serial killers.

In all honesty Stefan was more of a hit man that anything else, he was hired to do a job and so he'd do it. The money he got from the job was normally enough to keep him out of trouble for a few months until he felt the longing to do it again. It was like a game, a challenge. How close to the police get? The feeling of adrenaline coursed through his system.

It all started after he killed his father, the blood was everywhere as the shot rang out. Damon knew, he even tried to help Stefan and for a while it worked. Stefan clung to his brother, the last piece of his broken family and when he met Elena Gilbert life got better.

Then he found her in bed with his brother and suddenly ripper Stefan needed a fix. That was the last time he saw Damon, he was getting Stefan off a few assault charges and to thank him Stefan walked right out of his life.

At least, he thought he had.

His face was unreadable as he approached the steps to his motel, his eyes trained on Damon who was standing by the entrance with a black umbrella in his hand.

"I heard you were back in town." Damon said, his eyes hard as he stared at his little brother.

Stefan sighed, "I'll sent a postcode next time. I'm just passing through."

"You shouldn't be here, Stef. Police are still looking for you in regards to that girl's death back in Virginia." Damon replied as Stefan came to stand opposite him, his face stoic.

"You don't get to tell me what to do, Damon." He chuckled without humour, "You lost that right when you screwed my girlfriend."

"Hey!" Damon's voice boomed, "I stood by you, I covered for you when you killed our father. I even pulled a few strings to get you out of those charges a few years back. You don't get to throw Elena back in my face."

Stefan shook his head, "You don't get to act like the caring big brother. You hate me, Damon, as much as I hate you so let's just stay out of each other's way until I leave town."

Damon let Stefan push passed him, his eyes narrowing. "Fine." He spit out, walking out into the rain once more. He was on the bottom step when he turned to face Stefan again, "She left me too, Stefan. Elena screwed us both over."

Stefan stopped in the doorway but didn't turn around, "Then I guess we are both idiots." He mused before shutting the door behind him.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings? I did tell you Stefan was going to be darker in this fic :P

Favourite line? Let me know!

Please review! They made my day and keep me writing for you all!

Thank you!

Next chapter we see a Klaus/Stefan conversation and Damon discovers a secret Marcel has been hiding!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Another chapter and things are developing nicely! Time to get back to Marcel and his threat! Enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews! You're amazing!

/

Caroline was practically humming as she waited for Elijah to get back, tapping her foot like a kid on Christmas. Klaus had taken Liam to preschool after insisting that he needed to make up for lost time. Caroline shook her head at that but let him go, knowing Klaus needed to do this his way as much as she needed them done hers. It gave her the perfect chance to talk to Elijah, they hadn't spoken since last night at the charity event and the blonde found herself seeking Elijah's advice. It was something she had grown use to in the years without Klaus, when she was freaking out Elijah was the first person she turned to. He was always collected, giving her fair advice without taking sides and she liked that. It was one of the reasons he made a great lawyer.

She practically jumped out of her seat when she heard the keys rattling in the door, Elijah's figure distorted in the frosted glass of their doorframe. His eyes met hers the second he looked up, he seemed to understand instantly, giving Caroline a weary smile as he shut the door.

"I'll get some tea going." He said as he breezed past her, a hand on her arm as he passed.

Caroline gave him a gratefully smile and turned to follow him into the kitchen, "How's Katherine?" she asked with a smile knowing that's where he was all night.

"She's well. Prepping for a big case at the moment but I plan to take her to dinner tomorrow night." Elijah replied while he busied himself with the tea.

"You really like her, don't you?" Caroline said softly as she perched herself in the nearest chair.

Elijah turned to face her then, "Does that surprise you?"

"No, I'm happy for you, Elijah." Caroline smiled, "You've looked after the rest of us for long enough. It's time to put yourself first for once."

"You were never a burden, Caroline. You will always be my family."

"I know that, 'Lijah. Honestly I am never going to be able to tell you how grateful I am for everything you have done for me and Liam. I know you didn't just do it because Klaus asked, you care about your family and that is why I feel honoured to be a part of it." Caroline smiled as Elijah set down a steaming mug of tea in front of her. She smiled in thanks, wrapping her hands around the mug for warmth.

He took a seat opposite her before speaking, "Why do I feel this conversation isn't about any of this?" he asked with a smile, bringing the mug to his lips.

"Klaus and I reconciled last night." Caroline sighed.

Elijah nodded, "You don't need my approval, Caroline. He's my brother after all."

"I know, I just… I come to you when I need advice or to talk things over." She replied, her eyes meeting his, "I know I love Klaus, I've always love him but…"

"But there's still this whole mess with Marcel to deal with."

She nodded, "It just feels like we're in the middle of a war right now." She laughed, "Isn't there meant to be a little happy period? A calm before the storm?"

"I don't think life works like that." Elijah smiled wistfully, "Besides aren't you happy now?"

"Of course I am." Caroline smiled, "Klaus means the world to me, Elijah and Liam has his family together again."

Elijah nodded understanding her train of thought, "You're wondering if there is any point to this if Marcel is going to rip it all away again?"

"Does that make me a terrible person?" She questioned, "I should just be enjoying what I have right now instead of worrying about the future."

"You always worry, Caroline." Elijah said sipping his tea, "And no, it doesn't make you a bad person."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I know you. Your worry will only make you stronger. You're fighting Marcel with Niklaus, as are we all, and with someone like you fighting our side I know we won't fail." Elijah summarised.

Caroline smiled, "This is why you're my favourite brother." She winked, rushing around the table to envelope Elijah in a hug, "Thank you, Elijah."

Elijah smiled, his arms wrapping around her as he returned her hug, "You're welcome, Caroline."

They pulled apart together smiling, "I know what I need to do, can I use your contacts to dig up some birth records?"

Elijah frowned, "Of course, but why? I didn't think you had an active case."

"I don't. I'm going to look into Marcel's past, there has to be something we can use against him." She smiled as she kissed his cheek before rushing out the room, her tea left untouched on the side.

/

"Stefan." Klaus greeted as he walked over to his old friend. They had arranged to meet in the middle of town, the streets quiet on a Tuesday morning.

"Klaus," He nodded, "You seem happy." Stefan noted, looking at the relaxed expression on Klaus' face, a small smile noticeable.

"What's not to be happy about? I have a future with the woman I love and a son who is nothing short of incredible." Klaus smiled, "Shall we get down to business?"

Stefan shrugged, "That's why I'm here."

"Okay, the guy in charge of the shipment is a guy named Silas. I asked around, he's a pretty big name, lots of money and an interesting taste in the occult." Klaus explained.

Stefan frowned, "Why's a guy like that want to start dealing firearms?"

"Money, power. Same reason I started. My guess is he'll strip them for parts and sell them to other nations." Klaus mused, "He's a new client although he's shown interest in Marcel's operations before."

"What's the plan?"

"The weapons are getting shipped to Chicago from overseas, Silas is picking them up from the warehouse by the docks. We have to handle the deal, get the money and make sure Silas doesn't double cross us." Klaus said as they turned a corner.

"And Marcel can't do that himself?" Stefan asked with a frown as he zipped his coat up to his neck, protecting him from the cold weather.

Klaus sighed, "Silas doesn't trust him. Marcel isn't as well known as the Hybrid and a lot of people won't respect him just because he took over from me. He has to gain that respect and their alliance, whereas I already have it."

Stefan nodded, "So you do this job and Marcel lets you walk?"

"That's the agreement, if not I have ways to make sure he isn't a problem again." Klaus smirked.

"I hate Marcel as much as you do." Stefan replied, "The guy's a nasty piece of work but you were close once, could you really kill him?"

Klaus paused for a moment, stopping in his tracks on the pavement, "I don't want to kill him, Stefan but then I think of Caroline and Liam. I think about what I'll lose if Marcel drags me back into that life and suddenly killing him seems easier." He admitted, "You know as well as I do how easy it is to do with the right incentive."

"Those were dark days, Klaus." Stefan reminded him.

Klaus smirked, "You were a legend, my friend. The Ripper who would never go out at night without returning with blood on his hands."

"You can talk," Stefan said sharply, "I seem to remember your body count was a lot higher than mine. I never so much as saw you flinch as you killed." He sighed softly, "Then you met Caroline, I like you better like this."

"I have to admit this side of you isn't as dull as I'd imagined." Klaus smiled, "So, we do this. For our futures."

Stefan nodded, "For our futures."

They continued to wander aimless down the back streets of town in silence, each thinking about their own actions that managed to lead them back together again.

"I'm sorry." Klaus said softly, his eyes casted down at his feet, "My father is still hunting you and that means when this is all over you can't come back home."

Stefan gave him a bitter smile and sighed, "Your father is a bastard, Klaus but he has the law behind him. I don't stand a chance against that." He agreed, "Besides I'm not sure there is much left for me here."

"Damon."

"He knows I'm back, he came to see me the other day." Stefan revealed, "Too much time as passed, I've done too much, he's done too much to fix it now."

Klaus nodded, "Perhaps," he allowed, "But I thought the same once. I grow up with an abusive father that cared more about his job in the police force then any of us. I killed, I tortured, there was even a time I enjoyed it." Klaus continued his eyes hard, "I didn't think there was any hope for me until I met Caroline."

"I think a girl is the last thing me and Damon need to fix our relationship."

"My point is," Klaus pressed with a scowl, "You're not a lost cause, Stefan. We're all a little screwed up."

/

Caroline blinked rapidly trying to get more moisture in her tired eyes as she sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen. She had spent the better part of the afternoon digging up anything she could on Marcel and his background. She didn't know what she was expecting to find, something she could use to help Klaus maybe or something they could blackmail Marcel with at least.

So far she had nothing. Caroline had even gotten to the point she had to ask Damon for help, his connections around the city would have more chance of digging up dirt then her own investigation. She knew Marcel grew up in New Orleans with his father. His mother walked out on them when he was a kid. He was kicked out of his family home when he was sixteen after he got into trouble with the police for attacking another student at his school. From there Marcel seemed to have packed up his stuff and moved out to Chicago, taking up bar work for money. He lasted a year before he was fired for stealing and that led him further into his life of crime and eventually led him to Klaus.

She sighed in frustration, pushing her laptop away from her as if it had offended her. Klaus use to say every criminal had something to hide and if you found out what they were hiding you knew how to hurt them. Caroline wasn't a fan of hurting anybody, regardless of whether they deserved it or not but this was different. This was her family and she had to protect them.

Damon's voice brought her out of her thoughts, his head poking round the door, "I found something." He said with glee as he entered her office.

Caroline instantly sat up, "What is it?"

"You won't believe it, Blondie, it's huge." Damon replied, "I mean massive. This bombshell is bigger than me deciding to give up alcohol."

"What did you find?" She pressed.

"I called in a favour at City Hall, got them to dig up Marcel's birth records and it showed nothing so I asked for those of his immediate family members too." Damon explained, "It wasn't easy, I have to donate a substantial amount of money to their Christmas fare."

"Damon."

"He's got a brother."

Caroline's eyes went wide, "What?"

"Marcel. He has a little brother." Damon said proudly as he slumped down into a chair.

Caroline shook her head, "No he doesn't. No of his records showed a brother."

"That's because it's only his half-brother. After she walked out his mother had another child, different last name so it doesn't show up in the system." Damon pointed out with a smirk.

"And Marcel knows about this brother?" Caroline questioned.

Damon nodded, "I'm betting so. His brother is in Chicago as well, I dug into his background a bit. There was a large sum of money placed into his account about five years ago from an overseas account that links back to Marcel."

"This is why you're an amazing lawyer." Caroline smiled, "You know how to get the real story. So we need to find this brother."

Damon paused for a moment, "I already found him. It wasn't hard." He said before sighing, "I think Marcel has been one step ahead of Klaus for years though, Caroline."

"Why do you think that?" She questioned, "Who's the brother."

Damon's icy blue eyes met hers as he answered, "Jesse."

/

Cliff-hanger! What did you think? Thoughts/feelings? Hope you like the twist!

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! They mean a lot to me and keep me writing!

Thank you!

Next time we see Caroline confronting Jesse and more Klaroline family time!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey everyone! The response I got for the last chapter was amazing! I'm glad you all liked the twist and didn't see it coming! Enjoy this chapter, it's dedicated to all my readers!

M rated at the last part of the chapter!

/

Caroline was a force to be reckoned with as she stormed through the office like a hurricane, her mind focused on finding Jesse. He had worked with her and Elijah for over four years now, she had been the one to make Elijah consider him for the internship and this whole time he was Marcel's brother. Klaus always said betrayal was one of the worst emotions a human being can feel because it makes people irrational. There is no reason or logical in betrayal, only hurt and rage. Caroline was definitely feeling both in full force as she stormed out of her office, leaving Damon in her wake.

Even people she passed seemed to sense the blonde's change in demeanour, all of them sidestepping out of Caroline's way as she pushed pass. Jesse was easy enough to spot, laughing with another co-worker with a carefree attitude before disappearing into the bathroom.

Caroline's anger only increased as she saw him; the man whom she considered to be a friend. She didn't even think about waiting for him to finish in the bathroom before she charged in. Jesse was washing his hands in the sink, his eyes meeting hers through the reflection of the mirror.

"Caroline?" He asked confused, "You know this is the men's bathroom, right?"

She could have hit him right there. There was no one else in the bathroom and the idea really was tempting.

"How could you?" She demanded, her voice hard.

Jesse frowned as he turned off the tap, shaking his hands out over the sink, "What are you talking about?"

This time her anger escaped her, Caroline pushed him back causing Jesse to stumble, his eyes widening in shock.

"I know you're Marcel's brother." Caroline said with gritted teeth, "Now I wonder why you didn't mention that when you applied for the job here."

Realisation flashed across Jesse's face, his hands automatically coming up in front of him, "It's not what you think."

She scoffed, "No? So Marcel didn't send you here to spy on us. To find a way to get back at Klaus?"

"No. I mean yes, but I didn't know it was about Klaus." Marcel said.

Caroline didn't flinch, "You have one minute to tell me everything otherwise Marcel and Klaus will be the least of your problems." It wasn't a threat, it was a promise.

Jesse visibly froze for a moment, "I already applied for the internship before Marcel asked me to keep an eye out on you. I want to be a lawyer, Caroline, I didn't lie about that. Marcel told me that you were important and he needed to know everything he could about your life. I said no at first, the whole thing was crazy and the last thing I wanted was to get involved with Marcel's schemes."

"But you still did." Caroline said bitterly.

"He's family, Caroline, the only family I have left that's worth a damn. You know how important family is. This thing was really eating at him and his my brother, I didn't see the harm. He promised no one would get hurt." Jesse confessed softly, his eyes casted down out of shame or regret, Caroline couldn't tell which.

"All this time," She said slowly, "You've helped out on my cases, you've talked to my son. All this time you were spying on me for Marcel? Reporting back to him?" Caroline said in disbelief, "I thought we were friends, Jesse. I trusted you."

"I am your friend, Caroline. I didn't lie about that, this wasn't some big scheme cooked up by Marcel to get back at Klaus. I meant it when I said I liked you, I told Marcel I didn't want to spy on you anymore, it felt wrong."

She laughed without humour, "Well, so decent of you to grow a conscience."

"Family is the most important thing in the world, Caroline, you told me that." Jesse pointed out.

"Then stop trying to destroy mine!"

Jesse shook his head, "I'm not; Marcel just wanted to know about you, your life, Liam. He wanted to see why Klaus changed, I guess. He needed to know why you were so important for him to give up everything they worked for."

"Did he get his answer?" She asked, "Four years, I hope he got something to show for his efforts."

"I haven't heard from him since Klaus got released, I assumed he got what he wanted." Jesse explained, his eyes not meeting hers.

Caroline sighed, "Well Klaus is working with him again, so yeah, I guess so."

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I'm really, truly sorry." Jesse said, sincerity in his tone.

"You're going to stay away from me, and from my family." Caroline told him, "You make sure you tell Marcel if he wants to rip my family apart then he has to go through me first."

Jesse paused, "You don't want to get on his bad side."

"He doesn't want to get on mine either."

/

Klaus sighed as Caroline finished her story about Jesse, his face was angry, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair he sat in tightly, "You should have called me."

"It's done now." She replied, "I don't regret it, I worked with Jesse for years. Elijah and I considered him to be a friend. I think Elijah was even planning to give him a job with us after his internship." Caroline said, her eyes drifting around the room.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, love." Klaus said softly, his eyes locking onto hers.

"It's not your fault, Nik. This is down to Marcel." Caroline sighed, she took a deep breath before standing up, pacing the floor in front of him as she spoke, "Just tell me we're going to find a way through this mess. Tell me we're going to be okay."

Klaus' eyes softened, his hand reaching out to grab hers, pulling her into his lap quickly, "We're going to be okay, sweetheart." Klaus vowed, his eyes searching hers, "One more job and I swear to you Marcel will be out of our lives for good, no matter what."

She didn't push the issue further, it wasn't the right time, instead she curled up against him, her head cushioned on his shoulder as she sighed and her eyes fluttered closed.

"I love you." She murmured against his neck, Klaus' arms wrapping around her frame as he leaned his head on top of hers.

He kissed her hairline, "I love you too."

They stayed like that for a while, the silence comfortable as they simply enjoyed being in each other's arms. It seemed they didn't get enough moments like this, moments were they could escape the world and enjoy each other. Even this one was short lived as they heard Liam's voice in the doorway.

"Mom? Dad?" He called out causing his parents to break apart, Caroline moving off Klaus' lap.

She smiled brightly at her son, "Did you have a good day with Uncle Elijah and Katherine?"

It had been Elijah's idea, he agreed to pick Liam up after school so Caroline could finish some work on one of her old cases. He offered to make a trip of it, inviting Katherine along to meet the nephew she had heard so much about.

"We went to the park and I got an ice cream and fed some ducks. Kat's nice, mom, she gave me an extra flake in my ice cream." Liam said in one breath, his smile wide.

Klaus chuckled, "Sounds like a good day to me." He said as he walked over to Liam, picking his son up, "But I think it's time for bed."

Caroline nodded, "Yep, school tomorrow and maybe if you ask daddy nicely some blueberry pancakes?"

"Please dad!?" Liam asked excitedly.

"Family pancakes tomorrow morning it is then." Klaus agreed before he walked out of the room, heading towards Liam's bedroom. Caroline followed behind, happy at the sight of her two boys.

They got Liam settled quickly, tucking the little boy into bed before telling him a story. He asked Klaus how they had first met and he seemed only too happy to indulge their son in his request. Caroline listened as well, jumping into to correct Klaus on a few things. Liam's eyes were drooping by the time Klaus finished and both parents kissed their son's head gently before leaving the room.

/

It was later that night as Caroline tried to get comfortable and sleep that she realised just how different her life had become in recent months. Klaus had promised they would be okay and she was trying to believe him, really she was. Caroline still couldn't escape the little niggle in the back of her mind that said things wouldn't be that easy.

She hated this. The constant uncertainty, the risks. She prided herself on being a realist and realistically there were so many things that could go wrong. What if Marcel wasn't ready to let Klaus go after this job? What if Klaus did kill him like he had threatened to? The police would launch an investigation of course and Klaus would have to go on the run. Would he get taken away from them while he was fighting so hard to stay?

She threw the covers off her with a deep sigh, she needed Klaus. She needed to be with him and let him comfort her.

He wasn't hard to find, sitting in the study next to the living room with his hands clasped together resting on the desk in front of him. He looked focused on something, his eyes looking off into the distance. The lamp was on next to him, illuminating him in a warm glow. She could tell he hadn't gotten any sleep.

"I thought you were sleeping." Klaus said softly from his seat, making Caroline jump at his rough voice.

She smiled sheepishly, "I tried. I couldn't switch off."

"You're worrying." Klaus smirked, reading her like a book. He took in her appearance, hair dishevelled, the thin nighty she had on did little to cover her body.

She nodded, "I don't seem to be able to stop." Caroline walked over to him, resting back against the desk so her leg brushed with his.

"I told you, Caroline, everything will be fine." He reminded her gently, his eyes meeting hers in the dim light.

She didn't say anything, leaning down to cover his mouth with her own. Klaus kissed her back, one hand curling into her hair as they broke apart. Caroline didn't separate from him though, instead moving herself so she was straddling him in his chair, her hands playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Caroline…" he asked questioningly, wanting to be sure he was reading the situation right. They were together of course but he was still insistent on making sure she was happy with the pace their relationship was taking.

"I need you, Nik." She said sweetly, a hint of desperation in her tone, "I need tonight to just be with you, to feel you."

Klaus swallowed thickly, the familiar tugging in his groin causing his eyes to darken, his gripped her face in his hands, "I love you." He said, pulling her face closer to his.

"I love you." She mirrored before their lips met.

Kissing Klaus was like nothing she had ever felt before, the simple action could have her head swimming and fire coursing through her skin. She welcomed every touch, her tongue curling around his as she fisted her hands into his hair. Klaus wasn't gentle and Caroline didn't want him to be, his fingers were digging into her waist, her nighty bunched up against his hands.

She could feel his arousal beneath her as Caroline broke away, gasping as Klaus placed little kisses and nips down her throat. She rolled her hips against him, a smile forming at the growl that escaped his throat.

The next second Klaus had picked her up off his lap, pushing everything off the desk in front of them with one hand before seating her on the edge. He came to stand in between her legs, his tongue delving into her mouth as Caroline all but tore the shirt from his body. Their actions were lustful, need and desperation driving them as Caroline pushed his trousers down his legs and Klaus threw the night off her body.

He pushed her down onto the desk, Caroline shivering as the cold wood touched her naked back. His lips moved own her body, his tongue peeking under the thin material of her panties. He removed them carefully, gliding them down her legs before throwing them over his shoulder. Caroline whimpered softly as Klaus' hands moved up her legs, pushing them further apart.

"You have no idea how long I've dreamed of doing this to you again, love." He smirked, his fingers barely brushing against her core.

Caroline was about to speak when she felt his head dip down between her legs, his warm wet tongue lapping against her core. She moaned, her eyes fluttering shut as Klaus pleasured her. He had always been good with his mouth, sucking her clit and swirling his tongue against her in just the right way that had her pleasure increasing in minutes.

Her legs were quivering as Klaus continued his ministrations, his fingers doodling along her thigh as his stubble scratched against her sensitive flesh. He was paying more attention to her clit, occasionally moving down to stroke her entrance with his tongue.

Her first orgasm hit her hard, legs tightening round Klaus' head as he licked her through the aftershocks.

Caroline loosened her legs from him, allowing him to stand up again with a proud smirk, "Klaus…" she trailed off, moving into a sitting position as she reached for him.

Klaus kissed her passionately as Caroline rid him of his boxers. She pumped him in her hands a couple of times noticing how ready he was for her.

"I need to be inside you, Caroline." He said roughly and the blonde nodded, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him closer.

His mouth found hers again as he pushed into her, swallowing the gasp from Caroline's lips at the angle. Klaus moved slowly, thrusting into her at a torturous pace neither of them were happy with before Caroline bit his lower lip roughly, a sigh she wanted him to speed up. Klaus did that, his pace increasing as her walls flexed around his rigid cock. Caroline was moaning and panting, her fingers clutching his biceps as a way of anchoring herself as Klaus pumped into her furiously.

"God, Klaus…" She couldn't finish her sentence, her head snapping back as her curls cascaded down her back.

She let out a loud moan and Klaus quickly fisted a hand into her hair, guiding her face into his shoulder to muffle the noise, "Carefully, sweetheart." He chastised, "We wouldn't want to wake anyone else up." He reminded her, knowing Liam and Elijah were still sleeping upstairs.

Caroline couldn't speak, keeping her head buried into his shoulder, biting down as the pleasure grew too intense. Klaus wasn't fairing much better, his face pressing into her hair as he pushed into her to keep himself from groaning at the feel of her around him.

They climaxed together, Klaus holding Caroline to him as she came undone. He grunted her name into her hair as he let go, both their bodies were slick from their love making and Klaus knew he would never be able to look at that desk in the same way again.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings? I felt we needed some Klaroline time after that bombshell!

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please Review! They keep me writing and updating and make my day!

Thank you!

Coming up next chapter we have Klaus confronting Marcel which results in another revelation, a Damon and Stefan conversation and some Kalijah!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Another chapter! A big one! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews and support!

/

Stefan sighed as he walked through the front door of his motel, the air was crisp around him from the rain last night and car zoomed past on the busy road. His eyes immediately met Damon's, his brother was leaning against his parked car with an easy smile, arms folded across his chest.

"Seriously Damon?" Stefan asked as he continued walked, "This is starting to seem like stalking."

Damon cracked a smirk, "I think you have that backwards, little brother. I stay on the right side of the law, remember?"

Stefan didn't say anything, raising an eyebrow slightly at Damon before shaking his head. He brushed past him easily, continuing down the paved street. Damon caught up to him easily, falling into step beside Stefan.

"What do you want, Damon?" Stefan asked after a few moments of silence, the only sound between them was their footsteps against the pavement.

Damon shrugged, "A chat with my baby brother."

"That's funny, you've never really been the brotherly bonding type." Stefan commented drily, "And I have somewhere to be so…"

"Meeting Klaus?" Damon cut him off, "You're working with him against Marcel, that's why you're back."

Stefan smirked, "You know nothing."

"I know plenty," Damon corrected with a scowl, "I'm not even going to ask how Klaus managed to drag you into this or why you agreed because I could live without the headache but I'm telling you now Stefan, whatever you two are planning, it's suicide."

"Careful, Damon that almost sounded like you care." Stefan replied, his eyes darting around the street as a way of distracting himself from the conversation with Damon.

"Hey," Damon said, one hand gripping Stefan's arm to stop him from walking, "I'm a shitty brother, I've screwed up but of course I care about you."

"Well, you don't need to. I can handle this." Stefan replied, wrenching his arm out of Damon's hand.

"No, you can't." Damon insisted, "Marcel is smart, Stefan. He knows how to play Klaus at his own game. He has been watching Caroline for years now, do you really think he hasn't considered you into his plans?" He didn't wait for Stefan to answer, "The only difference between you and Klaus is that Klaus is important to Marcel. You're expendable."

Stefan frowned, "Thanks for the tip, brother. I'll watch my back."

"Or you can get on a plane and disappear again." Damon suggested, "The police catch on to the fact you're in the city and you won't make it out unless you're in handcuffs."

"I can't do that. I gave Klaus my word I would help, unlike you I keep my word."

"What is it that makes helping Klaus so important? Why risk your own safety for him?"

Stefan shrugged, "He's like me. He used to be, anyway. Now, he has a family, a future. Klaus saved my life once, when I was at my lowest he didn't judge me or look at me with disgust. That's why I'm helping him."

"I never judged you, Stefan." Damon said softly, "I helped you with the clean-up and didn't ask any questions because you are my brother. No matter what happens, you will always be my brother."

Stefan nodded, his eyes softening, "I know, but you never got it. Why I did it, why I clung to Elena so badly." He replied, "You cleaned the blood up and gave me an alibi, even pleaded my case in court but you didn't understand."

"Explain it to me, then." Damon said, "Right here, right now."

Stefan looked conflicted for a moment, opening his mouth before closing it again. He sighed once before he managed to find the words to speak, "It wasn't the fact you slept with Elena, it was the fact you were the one that did it. You're my brother, I'm meant to be able to trust you more than anyone and I couldn't handle it. I hated you because you made me feel like I couldn't trust anyone anymore, not because you slept with Elena." Stefan explained, his voice hard, "That's what made killing so easy, I felt like I had nothing left to lose."

"Stefan…"

"It's okay, brother." Stefan smiled, "It's not your fault I'm screwed up. You tried your best, Damon."

"I'm not done yet." He promised, "I'm not giving up on you, Stefan. Even if you have already given up on yourself. That's what brothers do."

/

The hot water from the shower had fogged up the mirror on the wall, steam covering the small room as Katherine's laugh echoed through the shower door. Water was streaming down over both her and Elijah as they indulged in the heat and each other. They had already spent far too long in the shower but neither where ready to get out, taking the time to wash each other with wandering hands and lazy smiles.

"I'm surprised we still have hot water," Katherine mused, trailing a hand up Elijah's chest, "We've been in here for about an hour now."

Elijah kissed the spot behind her ear, "You are eager to leave me, Katerina?"

"Never, but I do have a court session at 2 and you have a meeting to get back for." She reminded him, shivering as Elijah's hands circled her waist.

"Well, we should make the most of our time then." Elijah suggested, kissing down her neck to her shoulder.

Katherine's eyes fluttered shut as she lost herself into his touch, "We could always phone in sick." She mused, "My bed seems far more agreeable today."

"I would love nothing more, but I do have to get to work." Elijah replied, regret in his tone as he pulled away from her.

Katherine sighed but nodded in agreement, "It's a good thing I love you, Elijah." She replied, both their eyes widening at the statement.

"Did you…"

Katherine shook her head, backing away from him as much as the space would allow, "Absolutely not."

Elijah wasn't fooled though, a smile gracing his features, "You said you loved me."

"Maybe I did, let's not make a big deal over it." Katherine replied angrily, her cheeks flushed.

She turned to get out of the shower and get as far away from Elijah as possible when he grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face him.

"I love you too." He replied, capturing her lips in a soft kiss, "and that is nothing to be ashamed of."

Katherine sighed, "I don't do relationships, Elijah. It's always heading for disaster."

Elijah smiled sadly, his hands cupping Katherine's face, "I won't break your heart, Katerina. You mean to much to me." He promised, leaning down to kiss her again.

/

Klaus was dripping with anger as he stalked through the door to Marcel's office. He had managed to keep his temper in check, resisting the urge to storm straight over there when Caroline had told him about Jesse. It took everything he had not to rage and throw something but she could tell Caroline was shaken up by the turn of events and he knew she needed him more.

They had spent the night in each other's arms, making love until the early morning when Klaus had crushed her against his chest, a sheet wrapped around them as he held her on the floor behind the desk of the study. Caroline seemed more than content to just lay there with him, drawing visible lines on his chest with her fingers like she never wanted to stop touching him.

They had breakfast with Liam, a little family gathering with blueberry pancakes and fresh orange juice, a little slice of normal.

Now though, Caroline was at work and Liam was at preschool and Marcel needed to know he couldn't mess with Klaus' family and get away with it. There was a small part of Klaus, a Hybrid part which wanted to kill Marcel now and avoid everything else but he knew he couldn't. The police would launch a full investigation into Marcel's demise and Klaus would be the number one suspect. He had previous convictions, motivate, opportunity and he wasn't afraid of getting his hands dirty.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't inflicted a little pain to his former protégé.

Marcel was sitting behind his desk when Klaus entered, his grin wide and mocking. Klaus bristled, his eyes narrowing at the sight.

"I wasn't expecting you, I figured you were busy with grazed knees and soccer games nowadays?" Marcel spoke, smirk on his face.

"At least I'm not chained to an office chair all day," Klaus replied, "That seems very dull."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure, I have plenty to keep me occupied."

Klaus didn't say anything at first, walking around the desk so he was inches away from Marcel, "I'm sure sending your brother to spy on Caroline takes up a lot of your time."

Marcel seemed shocked for a moment but recovered quickly, "You shouldn't be too hard on Jesse, he was only to eager to help his big brother."

The ease Marcel was taking about the subject grated on Klaus' already frayed nerves. He frowned, pushing Marcel's chair back so it hit the wall behind him with a thud before stalking over to him, hauling Marcel to his feet. "Why?" he demanded.

Marcel coughed, Klaus' hand going to his throat to restrict him further, "Come on, Klaus, isn't this threating act getting a little old?"

"Don't make me ask again, Marcellus. I don't want to have to start breaking your bones." Klaus said darkly, grabbing one of Marcel's fingers and bending to prove his point.

Marcel gritted his teeth, "It was just research, and no one actually touched her."

Klaus stop, Marcel's finger still at a painful angle, "She is nothing to do with this."

"She is everything to do with this." Marcel argued, "I was trying to understand what was so damn special about this one girl that made you want to throw away everything we worked for. You don't get attached to people, especially not women."

Klaus bend Marcel's finger sharply, a sickening crack sounding throughout the room as Marcel yelled out in pain, "I fell in love, Marcel that was all. It didn't make me weak like I thought it would, it made me stronger."

"God, you sound soft." Marcel laughed, "You don't fall in love, Klaus. You fuck them and move on, that's how it works when you're like us."

Klaus broke another finger, he didn't even react at the sound of the break, "I changed. You can't stand it, can you? The idea that I could be happy without all of this, I turned you into a monster and now I've left you out in the cold and you can't stand it."

"You use to be feared, respected. People looked up to you, I looked up to you." Marcel spat out, his face distorted with pain, "You threw all that way for a happy life you don't even deserve?"

"And you hate me for it." Klaus finished, "Even before I went inside you could see I was changed and you hated it."

"You're a killer. That's who you are." Marcel shouted. Klaus snarled at the comment, moving from Marcel's hand to his wrist before breaking that as well. Marcel bit his tongue to stop himself from screaming.

"And you'd do anything to remind me of that." Klaus said darkly, "It wouldn't surprise me if you called the police on me, yourself. To teach me a lesson, a few years inside to turn me back into a monster and everyone wins. I always thought the police caught on to the location too quickly, almost as if they were given a tip off."

Marcel smirked, "Dangerous assumption, Klaus." He warned, "You might not like where this goes."

Klaus smiled, "I've never backed down before, Marcel. I don't intend to start now."

"I didn't make the call." Marcel stated, "I just didn't stop the person that did."

Klaus frowned, "If you value the use of both shoulders you are going to tell me everything. It won't be long before I snap your neck."

"Do you remember those days?" Marcel asked, showing no fear at Klaus' threat, "You were off with Caroline making plans. Elijah was focused on his business and Rebekah was fresh out of college. One big happy family."

Klaus squeezed his throat, urging him to get on with it, "You had no idea what was about to happen, the betrayal going on behind your back." Marcel smiled, "Tragic, really. You kill people for betraying you yet your own family did it."

"My patience is wearing thin, Marcellus." Klaus sighed, his hand moving to Marcel's shoulder.

Marcel froze for a moment, panic clear in his eyes, "You were right, someone made that call to the police, told them the location of the deal and when you would be there."

"Who?" The word was chilling and deathly from Klaus' lips.

Marcel looked him dead in the eye as he spoke, "Rebekah."

"You're lying." Klaus said, getting ready to snap Marcel's shoulder like a twig.

"I'm not." Marcel replied, "I was there when she made the call to your father telling him about the deal. Your old man seemed only too happy to send his best down there to bring you in."

Klaus stalled, "Why would she do a thing like that? Why would she go to you?"

"She was in love with me." Marcel replied simply, "But you were far too wrapped up in your life with Caroline to notice that."

/

Cliff hanger! I'm evil! So thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! They mean so much to me and I love hearing your reactions!

Thanks!

Next chapter we see some more family time and Klaus confronting Rebekah.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I couldn't make you wait any longer so here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

/

He left Marcel nursing his injuries, his anger channelled towards Rebekah now. His own little sister was the reason he was taken away from his family, his home. She was responsible for Caroline's hurt, his own turmoil. Klaus always knew Rebekah had a fickle heart, she loved too easily, too quickly and always with the wrong people. Marcel was no exception, Rebekah wouldn't have done something so reckless without a gentle push in that direction.

Klaus would leave Marcel for another day, Rebekah's betrayal hitting him harder than that of his former friend. At least he saw Marcel's betrayal coming.

The drive to Rebekah's apartment on the other side of the city passed in a blur, Klaus had borrowed the car from Elijah, not having time to get his own yet and he was thankful his brother liked fast cars. He weaved in and out of traffic like a pro, his focus on getting to Rebekah's apartment as fast as possible.

A rational part of him told him to slow down, to cool off before speaking to Rebekah but Klaus didn't listen. Every other instinct he had was telling him to find her and get the truth out once and for all.

Klaus banged on the wooden door harshly, not stopping until Rebekah opened the door. Klaus didn't give her time to speak before barging into her home, leaving a confused Rebekah in his wake.

"Bloody hell, Nik. What are you playing at?" Rebekah demanded shutting the door with a bang before joining Klaus in the living room. Her eyes followed him as he paced the room frantically. "Nik, will you say something already?"

Klaus laughed bitterly, "You know I expected it from Marcel, I always knew to watch my back." He said quietly, "I never would have thought my own sister would be the one to betray me."

"Betray you?" Rebekah asked confused, her eyes not meeting his, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the tip off the police got when they came to arrest me. Marcel told me everything, little sister." Klaus said, his eyes dark.

Rebekah swallowed thickly, "It's not what you think, Nik, I swear."

"No? So you didn't call the police and get me locked up for five years?" Klaus asked, "You weren't the reason my son grew up without a father and Caroline had to raise him by herself?"

"I didn't know any of that was going to happen!" She insisted, tears slipping from her eyes, "If I knew Caroline was pregnant I would never…"

"But you did!" Klaus exploded at her, his anger shining through, "Your own brother, how could you?"

She sobbed, "Marcel said he was worried about you, that you weren't yourself anymore. I thought you were going to end up dead with all your dealings."

"Don't lie to me, Rebekah. You wanted me out the way so you could have a happy ending with Marcel." Klaus said bluntly.

"I loved him! I thought he loved me too. We wanted to be happy, Nik, just like you and Caroline are." Rebekah explained.

Klaus shook his head, "Marcel is more of a monster than I am, Rebekah."

"I knew you wouldn't understand." Rebekah said, "You don't care about anyone but yourself. You don't deserve Caroline or Liam!"

Klaus clenched his fists to try and hold back his anger, he would never hit her, he couldn't but Rebekah certainly knew how to push his buttons, "So me in prison was the best option?"

"It wasn't that. You thought you were invincible, Nik. You had Caroline and your empire. It was getting out of control. I was trying to get my brother back, I swear I was just trying to protect you. I didn't want you to end up dead, Klaus."

"And getting a life with Marcel was an added bonus." Klaus added.

Rebekah sighed, wiping the tears from her cheeks, "We were together and in love. I don't care if you believe that or not. I did love him."

"I don't doubt." Klaus replied, "But did he love you? You're not together now, so something happened."

"He was using me, the whole time we were together, he was looking for a way to bring you down." Rebekah said softly, her eyes on the floor.

"And thanks to you he found one."

"I'm sorry, Nik, I'm so sorry." Rebekah said, her voice thick with emotion.

Klaus said nothing, walking passed Rebekah to get to the door, "Five years too late." He muttered as he left, slamming the door behind him.

/

Caroline was acutely aware of the anger rolling off Klaus in waves as he entered the house, closing the door behind him. A smile formed on his face at the sight before him.

Caroline and Liam were on the sofa, snuggled up together under a blanket with their sock clad feet propped up on the coffee table. A film was playing on the TV and a bowl of popcorn was settled in Caroline's lap as their both took handfuls of it. Klaus could tell both were in their pyjamas, Caroline's hair tied back, and her face free of make-up.

"Dad! We're having movie night! Watch with us!" Liam exclaimed excitedly shuffling further into Caroline to make room for him on the other side of Liam.

Klaus smiled, "What are we watching, mate?" he asked, toeing off his boots and hanging up his jacket.

"Despicable Me!"

Caroline laughed, "It's a bunch of cute little things running around. That's the only reason Liam likes it." She explained as Klaus settled in next to Liam, throwing an arm on the back of the couch.

He stretched his fingers out, curling the ends of Caroline's ponytail round his fingers. Touching her, being with her always managed to calm him down. Caroline turned to look at him with a smile, noticing the tired look on Klaus' face.

"Are you okay?" She whispered over Liam's head.

Klaus gave her a reassuring smile, "We'll talk later." He promised.

"Guys, you have to watch the movie. That's the point of movie night!" Liam said with a sigh causing both parents to chuckle.

Caroline ruffled his hair softly as Klaus reached over to grab some popcorn, both of their eyes returning to the TV as Liam snuggled further against both of them.

Liam fought sleep long enough to make it through to the end of the movie, his eyes wide and alert as the credits rolled. Caroline had a content smile on her face and Klaus was watching them. His eyes moving to take in both Caroline and Liam, his little family bundled under a duvet without a care in the world.

He cherished moments like these.

They put Liam to bed together, as was becoming a routine of theirs. Klaus would tell Liam a story while Caroline sat at the bottom of the bed listening, sometimes correcting him much to Liam's humour.

Neither Klaus nor Caroline made it official but somehow Klaus always ended up back in her room, his room, their room. His stuff joining hers like before he went to prison.

Caroline went to the bathroom to get ready for bed as Klaus climbed under the covers, stripping off his clothes as he went. He waited patiently for her to join him, a smile on Caroline's face as she crawled over to him. Klaus enveloped her into his arms as soon as she was under the covers, Caroline's head pillowed against his chest as she hitched a leg around his.

"Talk to me." She said softly, pressing a small kiss to his pectoral.

Klaus let out a deep breath, he should have known better than to think she would forget the issue, "I went to see Marcel." He admitted, his fingers doodling along her spine.

"What happened?" Caroline asked, urging him to continue.

"I found out who tipped the police off when I was arrested." Klaus explained, "I know who is responsible for taking me away from you. Now all I want to do is forget I ever learnt it."

Caroline frowned, "Marcel?"

"Rebekah."

She sat up quickly then, palms against his chest as she looked at him in disbelief, "She wouldn't do that, Klaus."

"I didn't think so either but she admitted it to me," Klaus responded, "She thought she was saving me or something equally as stupid. Not to mention her love for Marcel clouding her judgement."

"Rebekah was young and naïve back then, Klaus. Marcel knew she would have been an easy target." Caroline said, her mind reeling as she tried to justify Rebekah's actions.

Klaus shook his head, "Don't defend her, Caroline. She ruined us, she let Liam grow up without a father."

"No, look at me." Caroline insisted, waiting until his eyes met hers, "Rebekah didn't know what was going to happen. She didn't know you were going to get five years in jail and she didn't know I was pregnant. I don't agree with her actions, Nik, but she is still your sister."

Klaus' eyes moved from her to the wall behind her, his face hard, "A sister who is capable of stabbing me in the back?"

"What she did was wrong." Caroline agreed, "But she had a reason for doing it. She didn't want any of this to happen."

"How can you have so much forgiveness and compassion?" Klaus asked her gently, "She betrayed you too."

Caroline smiled, "She is our family, Nik. You always find a way to forgive your family."

Klaus didn't reply, his eyes locked onto hers before sighing, "We should get some sleep." He said finally and Caroline nodded, knowing he was done talking about Rebekah for now. She wouldn't push him but she knew he would be awake most of the night thinking it over.

/

"Damon?" Caroline said as she opened the front door to reveal the Salvatore in question, "What are you doing here?"

Damon gave her an unease smile, waving a file towards her, "Can I come in? I think Klaus needs to see this."

That statement threw her because as far as Caroline was aware Klaus and Damon hated each other. They didn't interact that much but Damon hated Stefan's loyalty to Klaus and Klaus thought Damon was nothing more than a pain in the backside. Caroline led him in though, a frown on her face as she led Damon into the kitchen where Klaus was sitting.

"Damon." Klaus greeted with a smirk as he saw Damon enter the kitchen, "Not here on Stefan's behalf I hope."

Caroline entered the kitchen, giving Klaus a scowl at his comment, "Damon wants to talk to you."

"I was digging into your old police files, I wanted to know exactly what kind of mess you were dragging my brother into." Damon explained, placing the file in question on the table in front of him.

"Stefan is more than capable of taking care of himself." Klaus pointed out.

Caroline saw Damon bristle, "What did you find, Damon?"

He shot her a grateful look before continuing, "Your arrest report. There's something not right about it." Damon replied handing Klaus the paper.

Klaus scanned the page in his hands quickly, his eyes settling on the familiar signature at the bottom.

"What's wrong with it?" Caroline asked, her question directed at Damon.

"The authorisation signature." Damon said, "Arrest authorized by Superintendent Mikael Mikaelson."

Caroline's eyes darted to Klaus, "Your father?"

"He was setting me up. He wanted me to get arrested and he used Marcel and Rebekah to make it happen." Klaus replied, his eyes still on the paper in his hands.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene? I'm a sucker for a nice family moment myself :P

Please review! They make me update faster and keep me motivated so thank you!

Next time we have a Klaus/Elijah conversation and a showdown with Marcel!


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Another chapter for you all! It's a big one so enjoy!

/

"Niklaus." Elijah called to him, bringing Klaus out of his thoughts. He had left the house promptly after Damon revealed it was Mikael that put Klaus away, retreating to the porch for some space. He should have known Elijah would track him down, as children he was always the one that found Klaus after he had a run in with Mikael. They would spent hours together outside on the lawn, sitting side by side in silence. Klaus always found a small comfort in the fact Elijah refused to leave him alone, choosing instead to sit with him until his pain had dulled and he had recomposed himself.

Klaus sighed, looking up to his brother, "Elijah." He nodded, giving Elijah a silence confirmation to sit down. Elijah did so, gracefully taking a seat next to Klaus on the old wicker bench on the left side of their porch.

"It's okay to be angry. I'm angry for everything that man has done to this family." Elijah said, his eyes looking out at the street rather than at Klaus.

"I'm passed angry, brother. I want blood, I want to rip apart every single person who has betrayed me." Klaus said with a cold voice, "I want to see their blood stain the pavement."

Elijah turned to look at him them, "And what would Caroline say about that?"

"I don't care."

"Yes you do." Elijah replied, "You've just gotten her back, Niklaus. Don't throw it away because of Mikael."

Klaus shook his head, "It's not just Mikael though, is it? Marcel is just as bad, threatening my family. I've let him live for far too long."

"Killing Marcel won't change anything, you would still have to finish the job otherwise his men will come after Caroline and Liam." Elijah pointed out.

"It would make me feel better."

Elijah was silent for a moment, turning Klaus' words over in his mind, "You sound like Mikael."

"I am nothing like him!" Klaus roared, turning rapidly to meet Elijah's eyes with anger fuelled ones. "I am trying to protect this family."

"I know." Elijah sighed with defeat, an unspoken statement hanging in the air.

Klaus noticed it, "You think they need protecting from me."

"I think you are hurt and you have been betrayed. That makes you reckless and cruel, Niklaus, someone has to suffer for it and I wouldn't let it be Caroline."

"I would rather die than hurt her." Klaus vowed.

Elijah nodded, "And Rebekah? She phoned me and told me everything. What will her punishment be?"

"You think I would hurt her?" Klaus asked, "You think me that much of a monster?"

"You're not a monster, Niklaus. But you are dangerous."

Klaus sighed, swiping a hand over his face, "Rebekah's betrayal is down to Marcel. She would never have phoned Mikael is he hadn't filled her head with lies about running away together. She always had a fickle heart."

"I agree her judgement with men is not her strong suit but that is why she needs us." Elijah said, "Don't push her out, Niklaus. She made a mistake and you need to hold onto all the family you can get right now."

Klaus didn't say anything, his eyes looking straight ahead, "I don't know how this is going to end, Elijah. I don't know who I will be when it's all over. I hope I will be someone who deserves Caroline and Liam."

"Then fight for them and don't lose sight of that." Elijah said, his voice demanding.

"I need you to promise me something."

Elijah sighed, "I thought I was done with your promises and cleaning up your messes."

"You love them, Elijah, you've been there for Caroline and Liam more than I have." Klaus started and Elijah shook his head.

"That's not your fault."

"I need you to promise me that you will protect them at all costs. Even if that means protecting them from me." Klaus said, his voice faltering slightly.

"Niklaus…"

"Please, Elijah, I need you to do this for me."

The look in Klaus' eyes and his plea caused Elijah's chest to tighten sympathetically for his brother, "I promise." He said softly, placing a hand on Klaus' shoulder, "I promise."

/

Both Elijah and Klaus knew where he was going when he left the house shortly after dinner. Caroline was putting Liam to bed and Klaus said he needed some fresh air as he slipped on his jacket. He could tell by the look on Caroline's face that she didn't believe him but she let him go with a quick kiss and a meaningful look in her blue eyes.

Klaus' eyes met Elijah's over the file in his hands, the look Elijah gave him told Klaus everything he needed to know. Elijah knew where he was heading and while he wasn't happy with it he wouldn't stop Klaus either.

That's how Klaus found himself down at the docks, seeking out Marcel. He knew he would be here, Marcel had nowhere else to go. Klaus smiled as he saw the lights on in the office, sending a quick text to Stefan to meet him at the docks as soon as he could.

"Marcel." Klaus smiled as he made his presence known, walking into the office with a smile, "We need to find you a girl, mate, you spend too much time in this building."

"How do you know I don't already have one?" Marcel questioned.

Klaus smirked, that statement peaking his interest, "Oh really? And you said love was a weakness."

"I don't love her, Klaus. You remember how this works. We fool around and have a good time, I call her when I need her." Marcel said with a smile.

"Well it's nice to know you treat women with such respect. I'm sure my sister was in good hands." Klaus sneered causing Marcel to drop his smile.

He shook his head, "That's what this is about? Listen, Rebekah is a great girl and maybe we could have had something but you know me. Money and business come first."

"I'm going to look forward to killing you." Klaus said simply.

Marcel laughed, "You need a new threat, Klaus. That one isn't as scary as it used to be."

Klaus smirked, withdrawing a large knife from his pocket with a rough edge. Marcel had seen that knife before, been witness to the pain Klaus was capable of inflicting with it. He gulped once.

"It's not a threat, Marcellus, it's a promise."

Marcel's eyes grew wide, taking in the dangerous glint in Klaus' stormy blue orbs and the way he held the knife with ease, "come on, man, you kill me and my guys will be all over your family. This doesn't get you out of the job."

"I'll do your job but with you dead I know for certain that it will be the last one. If you're dead your men have no one to follow so they won't go after my family. Don't forget who taught you to be the man you are, Marcel. I know this game better than you." Klaus said with malice.

"You won't kill me, Klaus. We were friends once, there was a time when I was closer to you than Elijah." Marcel pointed out.

Klaus nodded, moving over to him slowly as Marcel moved out of his seat trying to keep the distance between them, "The difference is Elijah would never stab me in the back." Klaus sneered, "Don't worry, I'll make it quick."

"You'll be hunted for murder. If you get caught that's life in prison, think about what you stand to lose." Marcel said, he was pleading for his life now and Klaus smirked.

"I'll already thought of that, accidents happen after all." He smiled, advancing on Marcel again.

The fear in Marcel's eyes were plain to see but Klaus didn't care. Marcel had messed around with him for too long and this is what happened. Marcel of all people should have seen this coming.

Marcel didn't try and run and Klaus admired him for that. His pride with him as he faced death.

"You know why I'm doing this." Klaus said carefully, Marcel now backed against a walk without any turn.

He nodded, "Nice to see my old friend before I die." He smiled, "The Hybrid is finally back in the game."

Klaus didn't say a word as he pushed the knife into Marcel's chest, his face cold and calculating as Marcel spluttered, clutching at Klaus' arm for support. Klaus pushed the knife in further, a nice clean cut that would have Marcel bleeding out in minutes as Klaus lowered him to the ground. He crouched down beside his former protégé, the blood seeping through his shirt and out onto the concrete floor.

"Mikael… is still coming for you." Marcel breathed out through the pain, his voice hoarse and heavy.

Klaus nodded, "I know." He replied clutching Marcel's shoulder, "Goodbye, old friend."

Marcel looked like he was trying to say something but the words died in this throat, a strangled noise erupting from his chest then… nothing.

His eyes closed.

His chest stopped heaving.

The blood stopping flowing.

Marcel was dead.

Klaus sat next to him for a long time, blood soaking his own clothes and skin as he looked at the body of his former friend. He didn't want it to end like this, Marcel had been there for him at a time when everyone else turned their backs on him. Klaus might have even been able to forgive him for his betray, for using Rebekah and involving Mikael.

He would never be able to forgive him for dragging Caroline and Liam into his mess though and that is why a knife to the chest was kinder than letting him live. Klaus would have spent every day waging a war against Marcel if he had to, he would torture and hurt and threat until Marcel was ready to hand himself over.

That wasn't a death; that was hell.

Stefan arrived at some point after that realisation, his eyes taking in the scene before him with disgust and a small about of admiration, when Klaus phoned him for help he wasn't expecting this.

"I didn't think you would do it." He commented, nodding towards Marcel's lifeless body.

Klaus didn't look up, "I'll do whatever it takes to protect the people I care about. Marcel knew the price he had to pay."

"The police are going to be all over this." Stefan pointed out.

Klaus stood up then, "I've got it covered. Hand me those matches and that bottle of scotch?"

Stefan caught on immediately, doing as Klaus requested in silence. Klaus busied himself with moving Marcel's body, placing him back in his office chair so he was slumped over at his desk. He took the scotch from Stefan with a sigh, opening the bottle before sloshing the liquid onto Marcel as well as surrounding him. Klaus set the bottle down carefully, wiping his fingerprints from it before grabbing the matches in Stefan's hand.

"Make it look it Marcel had too much to drink and fell asleep with a lit cigarette? Smart plan." Stefan nodded as he lit a cigarette up, placing it in Marcel's hand before it dropped to the floor.

The lit cigarette fell into the puddle of scotch, immediately catching fire around Marcel's body as Klaus and Stefan watched on.

"You look terrible." Stefan commented, noticing the blood on Klaus' skin.

Klaus chuckled, "Rough day."

"I'll get destroy the CCTV cameras to make sure your car can't be traced back. You should go home." Stefan said, pushing Klaus out of the office as the flames grew too high and smoke began to billow.

"Don't stay too long, the police will be called soon." Klaus replied, nodding towards the flames.

"There isn't going to be a lot left when they get here." Stefan replied.

Klaus smirked, "They won't bother opening an investigation. A simple open and shut case of a man who drank too much and got careless. Accidents happen."

"And he was a criminal so no one is really going to mind if he is dead. The press are going to love this story." Stefan said softly, his eyes on the blaze that was still spreading inside the building.

Klaus nodded as Stefan left him alone with his thoughts.

"I didn't want it to end like this, Marcel." Klaus sighed gently before turning his back on his old office and Marcel for the final time.

/

The first thing he did when he got home was lock himself in the bathroom. It was late and everyone was asleep which Klaus was thankful for. He didn't want them to see him like this. He didn't want her to see him like this.

He caught sight of himself in the mirror. Blood splattered on his face like a fashion trend, his white shirt now crimson and stiff against his skin. He looked like a murderer, a monster.

That's what he was.

He was lethal and dangerous and yet he had the most beautiful woman who loved him and a son who was sheer perfection.

How could a bad man get so lucky?

How could he deserve them?

Klaus stripped off, quickly moving under the spray. He could lose them both because of his actions tonight, he threw away everything he ever wanted for a moment of revenge and anger.

He scrubbed himself raw, watching the pink water swirl at his feet.

No matter how hard he scrubbed he would never be able to wash away his sins.

Klaus stayed in the shower for ages, the water running cold before he finally got out, slipping on his boxers before throwing the rest of his clothes in the trash. He made his way to his bedroom, Caroline already asleep in the bed.

He didn't want to taint her with his actions. She was too pure and beautiful for that but he needed her. He needed to hold her and convince himself everything would be okay. She loved him and he loved her and nothing was going to change that.

There was a small part of his mind that said he had put her through enough but he was too selfish to walk away. Not after last time nearly destroyed them both.

He curled himself around her, engulfing her warm presence as Caroline melted back against him. Her hand found his in the dark and she intertwined their fingers.

It felt like home.

He was a bad man and that's why he needed her. Because she made him want to be a better one, it's not an easy thing and they both knew he slipped sometimes.

But as long as he had her, he would keep trying.

/

So what do you think? A darker chapter for you all because this is Klaus we are talking about.

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! They make me smile and keep me writing! Thanks!

Next time we have a Caroline and Damon conversation and it's time for Marcel's last job.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Another day, another chapter! Enjoy!

/

"Don't do this." Caroline said softly as Klaus slipped from the bed, her eyes opening to stare at his bare back. She watched the muscles flex as he moved, lifting himself from the bed to start his day.

Klaus sighed, "You know I have to, love."

"I know." She said as she gave him a sad smile, "I just hoped if I asked you to stay you would."

He spun round to face her then, his hands cupping her face gently as his eyes bore into Caroline's, "I want more than anything to stay with you, sweetheart. That's why I'm doing this; to make sure I can stay with you for the rest of our lives."

Caroline reached a hand up to cover one of Klaus', "What if Marcel doesn't let you go?" her voice was quiet and Klaus could sense the fear and uncertainty there. It made his stomach clench.

"You don't have to worry about Marcel. I've dealt with it." Klaus said, the dangerous edge creeping its way into his tone.

She frowned slightly, pulling out of his embrace, "What do you mean?"

"I mean Marcel isn't going to be a problem anymore."

Caroline understood instantly, "You killed him."

"I was protecting you and Liam, Caroline. I did what I had to do."

Caroline shuffled away from him, moving towards the opposite end of the bed as best she could while she was tangled up in the covers. "You killed Marcel." She repeated, her eyes wide.

"He was a bad person." Klaus pointed out, reaching for her.

She shuffled out of bed, keeping the distance between them as she stood up, "He was still a person."

"A person who was happy to threaten you and a little boy in his plan for revenge." Klaus said, his anger rising.

"Don't you dare say you killed him for me or for Liam. You killed Marcel for you, Klaus, you needed to win, to prove you are better than he is." Caroline spat out, one hand going to her hair.

Klaus stopped short, "Caroline I…"

"You can't keep doing this, Klaus. You can't kill someone and think it's okay." Caroline said, "It's not okay."

Klaus' stare harden then and Caroline could practically see him putting his walls up, turning into the cold man she use to know, "I don't have time for this."

"Don't do that. Stop shutting me out." Caroline demanded as she took a step towards him, "All I'm saying is what you're doing right now won't mean a damn thing if you get locked up again." She pointed out, "I don't think I could survive losing you for a second time."

"You're not going to lose me, Caroline, and I'm not going to lose you either. I'll be back tonight and we will have dinner together like a family." Klaus said, closing the distance between them.

He let Caroline made the last move, her hand searching for his, "But if Marcel is dead why do you have to go ahead with today?"

"Marcel's men have been given their orders, love. If I don't do this job then they have to go after you and Liam. Once I finish this job, deliver the weapons to Silas they have to let me go." Klaus explained, his eyes never leaving hers.

Caroline nodded once, a sign she understood before wrapping her arms around him, "Just come home." She said with emotion, her voice quivering.

Klaus returned her hug fiercely, "Always and forever."

"I love you." It was a simple statement but Klaus still felt himself grinning as he pressed his forehead against Caroline's.

"As I love you, sweetheart."

The job he had to do was looming over his head, never before had Klaus felt nervous about a job. He was the Hybrid, cool, calm and collected. He knew the game and had perfected it over the years but this time was different. The stakes were higher and the loss this time was greater.

Klaus didn't focus on that though, instead he squeezed Caroline tighter, content to just hold her in that moment and let everything else fall away. He never doubted that he belonged right there with her and their son, not since the moment he confessed his love for her and nothing had changed.

He would get back to them, whatever it took.

/

Caroline knew going to work would be a mistake, she wouldn't get anything done but she had to pretend it was a normal day for the sake of her sanity. She didn't want to think about what Klaus was doing or what was to come. All she wanted was to get through the day as quickly as possible then rush into his arms the moment Klaus walked through the front door.

The best way to achieve that was to keep busy.

She knew if she had done as Elijah suggested and stayed at home after dropping Liam off to school, Caroline would have busied herself with extreme cleaning the house from top to bottom. Anything to keep her mind off Klaus and her brain from thinking too much, hence why she decided to go to work. There were more distractions and that was exactly what she needed.

Caroline had managed to keep herself occupied until lunch, the time still moving torturously slowly whenever she dared a peep at the clock in her office. She was debating a new filing system for her old case files when Damon knocked on her door.

"I can't take this, Blonde, I actually think I need a drink. A strong one." Damon rambled as he barged into her office, not waiting for Caroline to invite him in.

He looked stressed and more anxious then she had ever seen Damon before, if it was any other day Caroline would have found it amusing, "I told you Damon, your assistant doesn't fancy you." She quipped teasingly.

"Cute." Damon said narrowing his eyes, "I'm talking about the reunion my brother and Klaus are having right now."

Caroline sighed, the problem she was trying to avoid now at the forefront of her mind again, "I'm trying not to think about it."

"It's all I can think about." Damon replied, "Stefan is my brother and I know we aren't exactly close right now but I still want to protect him, you know. He is the only family I have."

She smiled slightly at that, this side of Damon was rare and Caroline had to admire how much he really did care for his little brother, "Stefan and Klaus will be fine, Damon. They have to be."

"How do you stand it?"

It was a simple question yet Caroline couldn't find a simple answer.

"I don't know." She settled on finally, "When Klaus is doing what he does there is a part of me that is always terrified he won't come back. It's irrational and illogical but I only see the bad stuff, I guess that's what makes it better when he does get home."

Damon sighed, "Stefan and I are barely talking. I keep thinking about how much I will regret all these years being angry with each other if I don't get to see him again."

"You will see him again." Caroline insisted, "Klaus and Stefan know what they are doing, they have done it a hundred times before." It was funny how she had gone from the one who was silently freaking out to the one who was reassuring Damon everything would be okay, Caroline could see the irony in that.

"Then what? Stefan isn't going to stick around, he can't wait to get on the first train out of here. I always thought I would be the flight-risk brother. When we were growing up I was always the one in trouble and screwing things up." Damon confessed, his eyes drifting to the cream carpet beneath his feet.

Caroline smiled at the thought, "Talk to him. Don't put on a front or an act, just talk to him."

"What about Klaus?"

"Klaus?" Caroline questioned.

Damon nodded, "You're clearly back together so once this job is out of the way then what? Happily ever after and all that crap?"

"You're so cynical." Caroline laughed, "Honestly, I don't know. I haven't figured that part out yet. I guess we just try and fit back into each other's life while raising Liam."

Damon smirked, "Sounds like a good fairy-tale ending to me, Blondie."

/

"Klaus, are you sure about this?" Stefan asked as they stood on the edge of the docks. They were standing side by side, looking dangerous in their dark attire against the cloudy day. Both their eyes were trained on the small boat coming into shore which was carrying their shipment from Russia. Four cases of guns, ranging in size, power and value. A couple of millions pounds to the right buyer and Silas seemed like the right buyer.

Klaus glanced over at his partner, "We've been over the plan, Ripper. A simple collect and deliver operation." He pointed out, "Sorry it's not quite as grim as you are use too."

"I get the aim of the mission, Klaus. But it's Marcel's mission, he planned this deal from the start and we've never even meet Silas…"

Klaus turned to him sharply then as the boat's engine cut out, the driver lifting out the cases to a few of Marcel's men, "What did you say?"

Stefan frowned, "What?"

"Marcel's mission. Marcel's plan." Klaus repeated, his eyes moving as his mind worked rapidly, Stefan was left frowning in confusion next to him.

"Klaus, what's going on?" Stefan asked as another case load of weapons was piled onto the docks beside them.

"It's too easy." Klaus said before turning to Stefan, "Marcel made the deal, he is the only one to have contact with Silas. He blackmailed me to make sure I would be here right now to oversee the deal. He spend so much time in the office planning every detail so it would go off without a hitch."

Stefan frowned, "Any time you feel like saying something that actually makes sense." He prompted.

"He has worked with him before, it's only to be expected he would approach Marcel again. It's simple and convient and Marcel is easy to manipulate given the right leverage." Klaus continued.

"Klaus!"

Klaus' eyes snapped up to meet Stefan's then, "This deal is clean and nice because that's how Marcel wanted it. That's how Mikael wanted it."

"Mikael? Klaus what the hell is happening?"

"This isn't about the deal. It's about me. The minute I get out of prison Marcel gets in contact and I refuse to help him. Then he kicks things up a notch, like he is desperate for my help when really his pride should have stopped him from coming to me in the first place." Klaus said rapidly, "Police should be all over this place, monitoring it. It's a crime hotspot not to mention the fire. The place should be crawling with cops but it isn't."

Stefan nodded but he was still frowning, "Because…" he trailed off.

"Because Mikael knew about the deal, he knows I still need to finish it." Klaus explained, "It's a setup. A trap for me."

"Mikael wants you back inside." Stefan said, catching on to Klaus' train of thought, "The best way to get a conviction is to get you re-offending."

Klaus nodded, "And I fell for it. I let him manipulate me like a pawn in his game of chess."

Stefan looked round, his eyes darting to the shipment that had been stacked up on the shore to the boat that was driving off, "We need to get out of here."

"It's too late." Klaus said grimly as three police cars swerved round the corner, blocking the exits. Klaus wasn't surprised when his own father got out of one, a proud smirk on his face.

Two officers, clearly detectives by the plain clothes, approached them with handcuffs and Klaus had no choice but to let the blonde man cuff him while a brunette with a darker skin tone did the same to Stefan.

It was Mikael who spoke first, wanting the opportunity to gloat, "Niklaus." He smirked, "It's been a long time."

Klaus scowled, "Clearly not long enough."

"You're a hard man to track down but I always knew I would catch you." Mikael replied, "What a disappointment you have been. Can't even make it as a decent criminal? What good are you?"

Klaus said nothing as one of the detectives read out his and Stefan's right about leading him and Stefan towards one of the cars. It was only as he past Mikael that he replied, "I'll make you pay for this. Trust me, I'll enjoy every moment."

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Please review! They mean the world to me!

Thank you!


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Here you go! Another chapter! Hope you like it!

/

Elijah was all but running down the corridor, his normally calm exterior now replaced with one of urgency as he dodged his way past interns and board members to get to Caroline's office. He had been in his own going over a new case when Damon had burst through, his eyes conveying everything he wished to say. Niklaus was in police custody, Stefan to. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, wanting nothing more than for people to stop trying to tear apart his family. Caroline was happier than he had seen her in years and Liam had quickly warmed up to the idea of having his father around. Elijah had hoped their family could work on repairing itself instead of getting wrapped up in this war again.

He knew he had to tell Caroline, Elijah couldn't bear the thought of her finding out any other way. He wasn't sure how bad her reaction would be but he knew it would be bad. She didn't want Klaus to do this anymore than Elijah did but offered her support none the less. Elijah was unsure of how this situation would play out if Klaus got sent back to prison again, Caroline wouldn't be able to cope with it and she certainly wouldn't be able to give him another chance.

Destroying everything they had built together once was heart-breaking for her. Elijah knew then Caroline wouldn't put herself or Liam through it for a second time.

He sighed, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself before stepping into her office. Caroline's head was buried in stacks of old cases and files and Elijah knew she was doing everything in her power not to think about what was happening with Klaus right now.

She moved her head up to look at him, giving Elijah a warm smile, "I know I'm obsessing but we really needed to have a clear out one of these days. Most of this should have been converted to computers ages ago." Caroline rambled as she sat up straighter, Elijah didn't say anything moving over to her desk slowly.

"Caroline…." He started then stopped, his wasn't sure how to finish.

"I know what you're going to say, Elijah but I'm fine. I promise, I like organising and it keeps my mind busy…"

Elijah cut her off, "Caroline." He said her name softly with a hint of pleading in his tone. His brown eyes met her blue ones and she knew something was wrong.

"What happened? Is Klaus okay?" She asked, her mood changing from upbeat to anxious in a matter of seconds.

Elijah sighed, moving closer to her to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Niklaus and Stefan have been arrested. Damon got a call from one of his contacts in the police force. They are to be taken for questioning and charged. Mikael was the arresting officer on scene."

Caroline took in a shuddering breath but kept herself steady, "Will he go back to jail?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Caroline you mustn't…" Elijah started but she shook her head. Caroline stood up from the chair, backing away from him.

"Is Klaus going back to jail, Elijah?" her voice was clearer now, more demanding.

Elijah stared at her for a moment, "I don't know." He replied honestly, "He will be kept without bail but Mikael will have no say over that. He will have to stand in front of a jury."

Caroline nodded, "We both know how this works, Elijah." She pointed out, "Klaus is a repeat offender, his list of crimes are extensive and no doubt Mikael will make sure he is painted in the worst light possible. He doesn't stand a chance, neither does Stefan. They will be locked up for decades this time."

"Don't say that like you are giving up on him." Elijah said, "We will find a way to fix this, Caroline, I promise."

"I'm not giving up on him." She insisted, "I just don't know what to do? I can't do this, I can't lose him again. What about Liam? He can't lose his father, Elijah, I just…" she was sobbing before she finished her statement and Elijah nodded sadly, wrapping his arms around her as Caroline cried into his shirt.

"It's okay." He muttered, not sure if he was saying it for Caroline or for himself.

"Why does this keep happening to us, Elijah?" Caroline asked, her voice muffled by his shirt, "Why do I have to lose him?"

Elijah held her tighter, "He needs you, Caroline. He needs the best defence we have."

"Why do you say that? He is going to be fine, right Elijah?"

"Damon believes Mikael will file for an immediate trial." Elijah said, his eyes downcast, "It's the best way to get a conviction. There won't be enough time to form a strong defence if the trial is in a couple of months maybe even less."

Caroline froze pulling back, "He can't do that. Nobody agrees to an immediate trial these days. It's not a fair test of the justice system."

"I know but Mikael is a superintendent, he has the power to ask for something like that. He will probably have ways to make sure Niklaus' trial is as soon as possible." Elijah sighed, "We need to be ready, Caroline. We are all he has."

/

Rebekah was waiting for Caroline as her and Liam rushed up the steps to their house. The news of Klaus' arrest had spread quickly and Rebekah knew she needed to seek Caroline out, they use to be the best of friends and she would hate it if they lost that now. Caroline's blue eyes met Rebekah's and she could tell the youngest Mikaelson hadn't been sleeping well. There were dark circles under her eyes although her make-up did a good job at hiding it.

"Rebekah." Caroline said with a nod, her eyes darting down to Liam.

"Auntie Bekah!" Liam's greeting was much happier as he barrelled into her, hugging her tightly. Rebekah laughed at his antics, returning the boy's hug fiercely.

Rebekah smiled as she ruffled his hair, "How's my favourite nephew doing today?" she asked brightly and Caroline couldn't help the smile that crossed her features. She always knew Rebekah would make a great mom someday.

Caroline ushered everyone inside, telling Liam to go and play while she talked to Rebekah. They waited as they heard his footsteps bounding up the stairs before they started speaking.

"I heard about Nik." Rebekah sighed sadly, "I am truly sorry, Caroline, I never wanted any of this to happen."

Caroline nodded, busying herself with making them both a coffee. Rebekah could see her hands shaking at the mention of Klaus' name. "It wasn't your fault, Rebekah. Klaus was coming round to talk to you, he just needed to cool off." She replied, "You know how stubborn he can be. He just couldn't wrap his head round why you would do something like that." The question was heavy in her tone and Rebekah sighed.

"I was stupid, I know that. I thought Marcel was the one for me. I know now what we had was nothing compared to you and Nik. I destroyed that and I'm so sorry." Rebekah said, her eyes boring into Caroline's. Her plead of forgiveness hung in the air thickly as Caroline boiled the kettle for their coffee.

She turned round to face Rebekah, "It's done now. We have bigger problems to deal with."

"Does Liam know?"

Caroline sighed, "I couldn't tell him, I wouldn't even know how to explain. Klaus promised him that he would never leave us."

"He never had any intention to." Rebekah reasoned.

"He still did it though," Caroline said bitterly, "I knew he shouldn't have made a promise like that. It was out of his control and if he gets locked up for years what do I tell Liam then? What do I do then?"

Rebekah gave her a sad look, rushing over to her to wrap her arms around Caroline, "It's going to be okay, Caroline. Klaus won't stop fighting to get back to you. He won't let Mikael win."

"I won't let him win either. I'm not losing Klaus again, Rebekah. I can't." Caroline sighed into her shoulder, "He fought to get me back. I'm fighting so he can stay. We need him, this family needs him. The only thing he is guilty of right now is trying to do the right thing for us."

Rebekah nodded, "You two were always meant to be together. The way you fight for each other… I want that."

"Can you watch Liam for me?" Caroline asked once she had pulled apart from Rebekah, the kettle clicked off on the counter, "There is something I need to do."

"Of course I can." Rebekah smiled, seeing the glint in Caroline's eyes.

She was fighting back.

/

Caroline stormed down the corridor with a purpose, looking every bit the lawyer Elijah had trained her to be. Her hair was naturally curled and her dark business suit made her look invincible. Police in uniform and casual clothes moved out of her way as she stalked down the halls to where the interrogation rooms were. She had been in this police station many times, had sat across from some of the best officers on the force and represented people she knew were guilty yet she had the police doubting their arrest by the hour. She was Caroline Forbes and she was bloody good at her job.

The rookie at the desk told her that Klaus was currently being interviewed in interrogation room 1 and Caroline gave him a sweet smile as she headed in that direction. She didn't announce her arrival but she knew how to make an entrance.

She barged into the interrogation room without knocking which she could probably get into trouble for later. Everyone in the room stopped talking to look at her, Klaus' face a picture of shock while the two officers looked nothing short of confused.

"What the hell are you doing in our interrogation room?" A brunette police woman asked, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Caroline.

Caroline could only smile as she watch her partner, the blond hair and high cheekbones giving him away instantly, "Matt Donavon," she greeted, "Nice to see you again, last time I saw you I was getting your prime suspect off a 12 years prison sentence."

Matt nodded, "I remember. Still a pain in the ass lawyer I see."

"You only say that because I'm the best at what I do." Caroline said, placing her files down on the table everyone was sitting round. She turned her attention to the brunette officer, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we have met."

"I'm Bonnie Bennett." The woman greeted, "And this is an interrogation, you can't just barge in."

"I'm Caroline Forbes, I will be representing Mr Mikaelson for this case and I am stopping this interview until I have had a private conversation with my client." Caroline said blunt, folding her arms over her chest. Klaus' looked amused as he looked from Caroline to his arresting officers with a smirk.

Bonnie sighed, "We are in the middle of an interview."

"I can see that." Caroline nodded, "But my client is allowed legal representation and considering we both know you plan to formally charge him after this interview I will be having that private conservation now. Matt knows better than to argue with me."

Matt sighed and stood up from the table, "Interview terminated at 16:56." He said before turning off the tape, "Come on Bonnie, we can give them five minutes. He isn't going anywhere."

"You have got to be kidding me, Donavon." She grumbled as she followed suit.

They were just out the door when Caroline called out, "Cameras off too please, this isn't to be used as evidence."

The door slammed shut behind them leaving only Klaus and Caroline in the room. She smiled at him before letting out a huge breath, "I hate being the bitchy lawyer. Damon is right though, very effective."

"Caroline…" Klaus started as he rose from the table.

She placed a hand out to cut him off, waiting until she heard the click from the cameras. A sign they were now in private.

"We don't have much time." She said softly as she looked back at him.

Klaus cut her off as he crushed his lips against hers, his tongue delving into her mouth as his hands gripped her waist to pull her closer. Caroline was shocked by the action but kissed back earnestly. It had been too long since they had done this and she couldn't help but melt into his touch. Klaus had her backed up against the clear glass in no time, his lips trailing down her throat with need as Caroline panted into his ear. It's only when one of his hands hitched up her that she remembered where she is, the situation they are in and the fact someone can walk in and see them at any moment.

Caroline pulled back, pushing Klaus further away from her as she tried to catch her breath. Klaus was breathing heavily too but backed away slowly until he was sitting down again.

"It's not you." Caroline assured him, "But anyone can just walk in at any moment and I do need to discuss your case."

Klaus nodded, "I guess I got carried away." He admitted sheepishly, "I wasn't sure I'd see you again after I was arrested."

"I can't walk away, Klaus. I'm not sure I remember how to not love you." She said softly as she moved closer to him, her hands reaching for his.

Klaus took it, curling his fingers round her own as a small smile graced his features. "What happens now?"

"The police will formally arrest you. Damon said your father is planning to apply for an immediate trial so you won't have to wait long for a court date. A couple of months at most." Caroline explained, her eyes meeting his with a soft glance.

"That's not what I meant." Klaus said gently, moving her hand away, "What happens with us? I know you don't want any of this and there is Liam to think about."

"He needs his dad, Klaus. Liam needs you and so do I." Caroline said strongly, "So what happens now is, I build up a case for your defence. I'm fighting this thing with you, Nik." She continued as she placed her palms over his cheeks, thumbs ghosting over his cheekbones, "Then you come home to us."

Klaus nodded, "Just promise me you won't tell Liam where I am. I don't want him to resent me the way I resented Mikael."

"Klaus he loves you, he would never…" Klaus cut her off.

"Promise me, Caroline." He said softly, "Just tell him I will be home soon and that I love him."

She could feel the tears in her eyes as she nodded, trying to blink them back, "I love you." She said gently, her hand still stroking his face.

Klaus gripped her hand in his, kissing her palm, "I love you too."

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! They mean the world to me and we are approaching the end of the story now – it will be finished by Christmas! Thank you!

Next chapter we have more Damon/Caroline bonding and the struggles of building up Klaus' case!


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: It's that time again! Enjoy! Thanks for all the reviews! This chapter is for you guys! You rock!

/

Caroline had taken over Elijah's office, converting the space into what she termed as an 'organised mess' as she worked on building up a case in Klaus' defence. It was easier said than done, Klaus' list of convictions were extensive and in the end the jury would see him as nothing more than a dangerous criminal. Caroline's best hope at getting them to see Klaus differently was the show them how much worse things could get. She was focusing on Marcel's part in all this, emphasising on Marcel's manipulation was the best way to get the focus off Klaus' history. It was a risky move, instead of justifying Klaus' actions she was highlighting them but Caroline knew it was the best chance she had at winning over a jury.

She heard the door creak open and looked up to see Elijah watching her with sad eyes, "Have you been up all night?" he asked softly, his brow furrowing.

"Since about 2." Caroline replied, "I need to work on this, its Klaus. He deserves my best work, Elijah. I don't know how much time I have before he is called to trial and I need to make sure I am ready."

"You need to take a break, Caroline, this isn't good for you." He said coming into the room, careful of all the piles stacked up around the floor.

She stopped then, giving Elijah her full attention, "I'm fine. I'm not going to break down. I got up and worked then I made breakfast and took Liam to school and now I'm back to work." She insisted, "I can do this, Elijah. I can make my family whole again."

"It's my family too, and you aren't doing this alone." Elijah said with a smile.

Caroline frowned in response, "What do you mean?"

"I called in a friend of mine." He replied and Caroline looked over Elijah's shoulder to see Katherine standing in the doorway. "I figured the best way to know what we might be up against is to see how the prosecution is going to play this."

"You don't have to do this, you know?" Caroline said softly, her question aimed at Katherine.

The brunette smirked, "It sounds like fun to me."

They got to work instantly, Katherine filling Caroline in on things the prosecutor was bound to draw attention to and answers she would need to have ready. Elijah watched from the side-lines, chipping in helpful advice every now and again but fully content to let Caroline and Katherine work through things together. They seemed to get on well which pleased him, perhaps it was time to introduce Katherine to his siblings as well.

"You should run with the Marcel angle, the prosecution won't expect it so they will have to immediately change their tacks." Katherine mused, "If you can get the jury on side, believing that it was Marcel that caused all this and Klaus was simply a man protecting his family you may have found a way to get them to plead not guilty."

Caroline sighed, "The only way that will work is if I can find evidence on Marcel's activities. If its Klaus' word against Marcel's the jury won't believe it." She ran a hand through her hair, "That and the fact Marcel isn't in town anymore."

"Elijah told me he had left town just before Klaus got arrested, you can use that, suggest he ran away rather than deal with the fall out of his plan. He set Klaus up."

Elijah piped up then, "Does Marcel have a girlfriend? Someone personal to him would be the best to stand in court. Juries identify with women more than men."

Caroline frowned for a moment, "I think there used to be a girl. Klaus said Marcel was with her while he was with Rebekah."

"I think you found your first witness. She would be a character witness to back up your statement on Marcel, she must have known about his work and his actions. You just need to ask the right questions." Katherine said, her lips curving into a smile.

"Don't worry about that, I'm very good at what I do."

Katherine nodded, "I know. I saw you in court once, I was helping a junior with her first case and you were the defence attorney. You could have given Damon a run for his money."

Elijah smiled, "I only employ the best, Caroline, I told you that."

/

She had spent most the day with Katherine and Elijah going over their case, it was coming together and Damon was currently tracking down the address and name of Marcel's old girlfriend. It wouldn't be enough to win over the jury but it was certainly a step in the right direction. After everything that had happened lately, Caroline would definitely take it.

"Did dad leave us again?" Liam asked in a small voice from where he sat at the kitchen table. He had been pushing around his food for a while now and Caroline knew he had wanted to say something.

She spun around to face her son, Klaus' blue orbs staring back at her as Caroline crouched down next to Liam, "Hey where did that come from?"

Her son shrugged, "He isn't here and when I asked Uncle 'Lijah he didn't answer."

"Listen to me, Liam." Caroline said softly, "Your dad loves you. He would never leave you again, I promise."

"Then where is he?"

Caroline gave him a brave smile, forcing down the tears, "He needed to help someone, a friend of his but he is going to be home really soon."

Liam nodded thoughtfully, "I'm going to make him a picture for when he gets home. Dad likes my pictures."

"Yeah, he does." Caroline smiled.

"Dad loves you too, mom." Liam smiled at her, "He told me so."

Caroline didn't say anything, wrapping her arms around Liam tightly as she ran a hand through his hair, "I love you, little man."

Liam muffled his response into her shoulder but Caroline still felt the same amount of overwhelming love and happiness. She was blessed with Liam and with Klaus and she was going to fight to keep her family. Always and Forever.

/

Caroline quickly finished securing her hair into a ponytail as she rushed to answer the door, she was dressed in her navy business suit making her look like the lawyer she was. Caroline had dropped Liam off with Rebekah, the little boy eager to spend time with his Aunt after not seeing her in a while. Caroline was planning to use her free time to see Klaus, he was still being held and would remain that way until the trial, and she knew she shouldn't see him but Caroline had too. She needed to know he was okay, to reassure him and herself that they would find a way through this mess.

She opened the front door to reveal Damon, his face grim as he stood on her porch in his own designer suit. Caroline gave him a weary smile as she motioned him inside and Damon brushed past her into the hallway. "Caroline." He greeted, his voice tired.

"What's wrong?" She knew, Damon's poker face was normally legendary but today he simply looked sad. It was an expression she wasn't used to seeing on Damon, he was the cold-hearted lawyer after all.

He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face, "Mikael's appeal for an immediate trial was granted. The court date is for two weeks' time."

"That's impossible, we barely have a case."

"That's the point," Damon replied, "Mikael knows you don't have a case and he wants to make sure Klaus is locked away for a long time. The only way a judge would even allow an immediate trial for this case is if Mikael had something on him."

Caroline nodded, following Damon's train of thought, "You think he is blackmailing the judge?"

"Blackmailing, paying off, who knows? Mikael is corrupt, I think he is willing to do whatever he has to do to in order to destroy Klaus' life." Damon said, his arms folded across his chest as he leant against the door frame to the living room.

"We can't let that happen, Damon." Caroline insisted, "We can't let Mikael win."

Damon paused for a moment, "Tell me you have a case, Blondie. One that will stand up in court."

"It's only been a week. You know how long cases take to organise. I have an angle, shifting the focus off Klaus and onto Marcel."

"You want to trick the jury." Damon summarised, "Nice idea, risky but I always say to live dangerously."

Caroline shook her head, "There is no guarantee it will work but if we can get the jury to see Klaus as more than a ruthless criminal will stand a fair chance."

"What if we threw Mikael into the mix?" Damon asked, more to himself than to Caroline, "He will be at the trial to gloat. What if you used your defence as a way to undercover his behaviour?"

"It's risky, we have no proof and he is a very powerful man. I will most likely be thrown out of court for the accusation against a police officer." Caroline replied, "No, we focus on the Marcel angle. Did you find the girlfriend?"

Damon smirked then, pulling a folded slip of paper from his pocket, "Sophie Deveraux. 22. Lives here in Chicago, I got Jesse to pick her up this morning. He said she seems pretty loyal to Marcel but she is clearly hiding something."

Caroline nodded, "She knows about his activities and thinks he is in trouble."

"You can use that in court, channel my attitude in court, get Sophie on the defence and she will end up cracking." Damon smiled, "They always crack in the end."

"You enjoy pulling people's lives apart too much." She mused.

"It's not my fault, Blondie. They are the ones lying, if they think they can lie to me that's their problem."

Caroline smiled at that even though it didn't reach her eyes, "Thank you for this."

"Anytime." Damon replied, "I need to get back to the office. I left Jesse with Sophie and you know Elijah will hate that."

Damon turned to leave, heading for the door when Caroline called out to him, "What about Stefan?" she asked causing Damon to freeze.

He turned round slowly, his blue eyes piercing, "What about Stefan?"

"He needs a lawyer, Damon. You can't walk away from him now." Caroline said softly, her eyes meeting his.

"I was there for him, Caroline. I saved his ass from jail before and look at the thanks I got. He doesn't want me, I am always going to be the brother that slept with his girl and ruined his life." Damon said and Caroline got sense the bitterness in his tone.

She shook her head, "He had every right to be angry and so do you but you're family. You fought so hard to get Stefan to forgive you, are you really going to give up on him now?"

"I tried, I wanted to." Damon said quietly, "But I can't. I was going to ask Elijah to represent him."

"Stefan needs you, he needs his brother by his side." She argued, "Elijah is a brilliant lawyer, the best in my opinion but he doesn't know Stefan like you do."

Damon sighed, "What if he doesn't accept my representation?"

"Then at least you know you tried, Damon. You make the first move, its Stefan's choice if he accepts it or not." Caroline replied, "All I know is if Klaus gave up trying to win me back, I don't know what I would have done. He showed me that he was always going to be there for me and that only made me love him more."

"You think I should make sure Stefan knows I am here for him." Damon nodded, seeing where she was going with her speech.

Caroline nodded, "I think that's what you do for family." She said, "I also thinking you would hate yourself if you didn't."

Damon didn't reply but the small nod that followed was enough to convince Caroline he would do the right thing by his brother. Damon had to be the one to push because Stefan needed to know he had changed and he wanted them to be brothers again. He had to take that first step. She could only hope Stefan would take the next one.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review! They mean the world to me and keep me smiling!

Thank you!

Next time we see some Kalijah an introduction to the prosecutor of Klaus' case and the start of the trial!


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Another chapter! I'm trying to get them all up and finished by Christmas for you all! Only another 3 to go!

/

Elijah smiled wearily as he saw Katherine enter his office, it was early morning and Klaus' trial was due to start in a few hours. Katherine instantly dropped her smile, noticing Elijah's dishevelled appearance and ruffled hair. It was clear he hadn't slept all night and she would guess he had spent the hours at his desk trying to dig up any last minute information he could to help Caroline win Klaus' case.

She dropped a coffee onto the table in front of him, "Drink that." She ordered, "You're going to need it today."

"I could use something stronger." He admitted as he placed his hands around the paper cup, the heat felt soothing against his palms but the hand Katherine placed on his shoulder was better.

Katherine gave him a small smirk, "Alcohol at 9 in the morning? I'm a bad influence."

Elijah gave her a half-hearted smile. If it was any other day he would normally have gone along with her teasing but not today. Katherine seemed to understand perfectly.

"I dropped Liam off with Rebekah this morning. He knows something is wrong. Caroline and I are a mess." Elijah said after a moment, "He could lose his father today. Not for the first time."

"He won't." Katherine insisted, she moved round the desk so she was closer to him, their faces on the same level, "You and Caroline won't let that happen, Elijah."

Elijah sighed, "With Mikael's interference there might be little we can do to stop it."

"Well, maybe it's time you showed your father what you Mikaelson's are made of." Katherine replied, her smirk bigger this time.

Elijah smiled this time, his eyes softening slightly, "Thank you for being here, Katherine. I don't know how I would be holding things together without you."

"Your family is important to you, Elijah. You would fight with everything you have to protect them." She replied, "So let's go to war."

He took the hand Katherine offered to him, placing a kiss on the back of it before standing up. "We need to stop off at mine before we head to court," Elijah said, "I need a fresh suit."

/

"Caroline!"

The blonde spun round at the sound of her name, her eyes narrowing as she saw Jesse rushing up to her. He looked flushed, his breathing heavy as he stopped next to her.

"I don't have time for whatever you want to say, Jesse. I need to get to court." She said curtly. Caroline didn't want to deal with Jesse at all but especially not today. She knew Elijah had spoken to him about keeping his distance and Caroline was thankful Jesse was smart enough to respect that because she couldn't even look at the man she once considered a friend without feeling dread seep through her at his betrayal.

Jesse moved a hand out to stop her walking away, "Please, I just need a second."

Caroline's eyes narrowed slightly but she nodded, crossing her arms over her chest as Jesse started talking.

"I'm resigning. I handed in my letter of resignation to Elijah yesterday and he accepted it. I helped do this to your family, Caroline and I will never be able to tell you how truly sorry I am for that. Marcel was my family and I think we both understand the lengths we will go to for family." Jesse said, "But what I did was wrong and I am sorry for every bit of pain I caused you and Liam. I don't deserve your forgiveness, Caroline but I owed you an explanation."

She unfolded her arms then, letting them drop to her sides, "You've resigned?"

"Effective immediately." Jesse nodded.

"You love being a lawyer, Jesse. You were the most passionate person we interviewed for the job."

"And I have no right to keep it." He replied, "I lost the right to be a lawyer when I helped Marcel destroy Klaus. Lawyers are meant to be good people, they help others. I don't see myself as that man, not right now, not anymore."

Caroline sighed, "You can't punish yourself for what Marcel did. I'm not saying I forgive you but I would have done the same if it would have protected my family. You worked hard to build a life for yourself, Jesse. Don't throw that away."

"I can't work with you and Elijah anymore, not after this. I can't look you in the eye and pretend I haven't had a hand in causing this."

The blonde tilted her head to the side, "We aren't the only law firm around." She pointed out, digging into her bag for a piece of paper and a pen. She scribbled furiously before handing the paper over to Jesse. A string of numbers were written in blue ink, "That's the number for Katherine Pierce. Give her a call, tell her I sent you. I think you would go far as a prosecutor."

"Thank you." Jesse replied, his brown eyes searching her blue ones, not sure what to say.

Caroline gave him a smile, "You're not a bad person, Jesse. Remember that, okay? Who knows maybe I will see you in the courtroom one day?"

Jesse smiled, "Good luck for today. I'm rooting for you."

Caroline didn't reply, instead she moved to squeeze his arm gently as a gesture of thanks before brushing past him.

Jesse smiled brightly as he walked in the other direction, the piece of paper still clutched in his hand.

/

The courtroom was one Caroline had been in hundreds of times on hundreds of different cases yet it was this one, this case, Klaus' case, that had her feeling nervous. The room as empty as she ghosted down the pathway, getting a feel for the room like she did with all her important cases. She had to appear confident and strong and to do that it was important she knew the room she was dealing with.

It was hard to imagine Klaus would be on trial, this case meaning more to her than all her other cases put together. This one was personal and she couldn't afford to lose it.

Mikael would be in the gallery as Damon predicted but she wouldn't focus on that. Caroline had no idea what the jury would be like but she was only thankful she knew the judge well. Alaric Saltzman, a friendly face in an unknown crowd. He had been the judge on many of her other cases and she knew Ric a little outside the courtroom. He was a nice guy, a fair judge and she could only hope he would be lenient in this case. Knowing Ric helped Caroline with her strategy, playing on Klaus' protection of his family would appeal to Ric. He was a family man himself.

A cough for the doorway pulled her out of her musings causing Caroline to spin round to face the newcomer. Her face turned into a scowl as she saw who had interrupted her.

"I heard you were defending." He replied, clicking his tongue, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to defend a personal case. They can get messy."

"Tyler Lockwood." She greeted, "I didn't know you were back in town."

"I wasn't but I couldn't resist prosecuting the case of the Hybrid. That's a career maker." Tyler replied with a smirk as he walked further into the room.

Caroline kept her scowl in place, "What makes you so sure you'll win?"

"The same thing that made you realise you don't stand a chance." He said, "All your evidence is circumstantial at best. I'll have your defence unravelled by lunch."

Caroline quirked an eyebrow, "I don't know where you get your information from but you need to check your facts. My defence is very compelling as I'm sure the jury will agree."

"I guess we will have to wait and see." Tyler smiled. "Klaus isn't innocent, Caroline, not by a long shot."

"Neither are you, remember?" Caroline replied, "Hit and run when you were 16. You'd been drinking. No charges thanks to your father for paying off the victim's family."

Tyler lost his smile, "I'll see you in court."

"I look forward to it." Caroline said sweetly.

/

Klaus was being held in a secure holding cell beneath the docks, he would then be taken from his cell to the stand where he would stand trial. This was a familiar process to him now and he hated that fact. There was a sense of realism as he changed into his suit, today was a defining point for the rest of his life. Either he won and was a free man who got to enjoy his family and watch his son grow up or Mikael won. Klaus would lose everything and it was his fault for going along with Marcel's schemes in the first place. He should have noticed sooner, he should have seen Mikael's involvement.

He heard heels on the stone floor by his cell and a flash of blonde hair caused him to look at. Caroline's blue eyes searching for his own. He walked over to the bars hastily, his large hands enclosing over Caroline's smaller ones as she gripped the bars tightly. She smiled at him leaning her head against the metal. Klaus followed suit, their foreheads barely touching.

"Hi." She said softly, her eyes still locked with his.

Klaus squeezed her hand, "Hello, love." He said with ease, the words rolling off his tongue.

"We will be starting soon, Elijah just arrived and Damon is handling Stefan's case. It's not until next week as I need him as a witness." Caroline rambled, her voice barely above a whisper.

Klaus smiled gently, "Breathe. I trust you with my life, Caroline. I have no worries about trusting you with my freedom."

"I just want you home. Liam wants you home." She replied.

Klaus sighed, "Is he okay?"

"He's confused. He knows there is something I'm not telling him and he misses you." Caroline replied, "I miss you."

"I miss you too, love. You have no idea." He said softly, his eyes down.

Caroline smiled at that, "Liam wants us to do Christmas properly this year. A big family thing, it's more important to him with you here now."

"Caroline," Klaus started, "If things don't work out today…"

She cut him off, "Don't you dare."

"I don't want Liam to see me in prison. That's no place for you or our son."

"He won't see you in prison, Nik. It's not going to happen. You're coming home." Caroline insisted.

Klaus nodded, " I'll do whatever it takes to get back to our family, sweetheart but if I can't I need you to do something for me."

"Klaus…"

"I need you to be happy, Caroline. I need you to raise our son and do whatever you have to do to be happy. You need to move on from me, you deserve that." Klaus said softly, his hand moving to her face.

Caroline shook her head, "You don't get to do this to me. God, I wish I could slap you right now."

"I'm trying to be practical." Klaus tried to reason.

"You are getting out of here and you are coming home, that's practical. We are going to raise our son together and have more children and be happy together." She insisted, "I can't be happy without you, Klaus. That's not even an option."

Klaus smiled, "More children?"

"You have a big family, I thought you would want more children."

"With you? I want a full soccer team." Klaus replied.

Caroline smiled then, "You hate soccer."

"I love you." He smiled, "With everything I am."

"Good answer." She whispered, leaning to kiss him through the bars of his cell, "I love you too."

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review, you guys are so amazing and they really do make me motivated to keep writing!

Thank you!

Next time we see the trial begins! Sophie and Stefan take to the stands!


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Another chapter! Enjoy!

/

As soon as the court was called to order and Ric was seated Caroline knew this wasn't going to be an easy case. Tyler sat on the table across from her with a smirk on his face. Caroline could feel Elijah's gaze on the back of her head from where she sat. She didn't turn around, she had to be focused. She was a lawyer right now and nothing else.

There were only two places Caroline couldn't bring herself to look. The first was up in the gallery where Mikael was no doubt watching with a vicious smile. The second was where Klaus was standing, waiting for the trial to start. She couldn't bear to meet his stormy blue eyes, knowing they would have her resolve crumbling with one look.

"If I could call upon the prosecutor." Ric's voice boomed in the quiet courtroom, "Mr Lockwood, if you would like to present your opening statement to the jury?"

Tyler got up with ease, a relaxed expression on his face. He coughed once, looking at Caroline for a brief moment before speaking, "We all know why we are here." He began, addressing the jury now, "Niklaus Mikaelson is not a good man. He has been tried before a court before and no doubt will be again. He is manipulative and cruel, a man who would doesn't seem to be able to change his ways. I urge everyone in the jury to remember this as we progress through the trial. Mr Mikaelson is a dangerous man and that leaves us all wondering how far he would go to get what he wants. He got out of prison and the first thing he did was get right back into weapons dealing, not the sign of a man eager to change his ways."

"Miss Forbes?" Ric asked as Tyler made his way back to the bench, his statement was brutal as Caroline predicted it would be. She moved out of her seat, making her way towards the jury.

"What my colleague fails to realise is while Mr Mikaelson is by no means a saint perhaps in this case there is just cause for his actions. I'm sure everyone single person of this jury would result to extreme measures when it comes to the protection and safety of their family. When Marcel Gerard threatened the welfare of the defendant's family what other choice did he have? It's a dangerous world, one we can't begin to understand. Perhaps the only thing my client is guilty of is wanting to keep his family safe? Perhaps this incident spiralled out of control by forces that were deemed by other people and not Mr Mikaelson? These are things I strongly suggest you think about as we proceed. What would you have done?" Caroline finished, all eyes in the court on her as she took her seat. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder reassuringly from behind and she turned round to find it was Katherine. Caroline gave her a small smile as Ric began to speak.

"Your first witness, Miss Forbes?" Ric asked, his eyes soft.

Caroline nodded, "I'd like to call Marcel's girlfriend, Sophie Deveraux to the stand."

Sophie was a small brunette girl with a hard face, Caroline felt little sympathy for her as she was escorted to the stands and sworn in. Caroline approached her calmly, like a man walking over to a wounded animal.

"Miss Deveraux, Can you please tell the court how you know the defendant?" Caroline asked, her voice softer now.

Sophie frowned slightly, "I don't really, he worked with Marcel. They were friends."

"And you were in a sexual relationship with Mr Gerard?" Caroline continued, establishing Sophie's relevance to the case for the jury.

"Yes." Came the simple reply.

Caroline nodded, "Miss Deveraux, I want you to think back to the night of the 17th April. Can you talk us through what happened when Marcel came home that night?" She opened up the folder in her hands, Damon's notes from his first meeting with Sophie were staring back at her.

"Marcel was angry," Sophie began, "He refused to tell me what was wrong but we never kept secrets from each other so I got it out of him eventually."

"And what did Mr Gerard tell you?"

"He said Klaus was back. Marcel was worried Klaus would want to reclaim his business after he had been released so he planned to offer Klaus a job with him instead." Sophie explained, her eyes darting from Klaus to Caroline to Ric as she spoke. She was clearly nervous, rubbing her palms along the material of her dress.

Caroline pressed on, "What happened next?"

"Marcel contacted Klaus and when he came back he told me Klaus turned him down. He said he didn't want anything to do with him or the business anymore."

"And that made Mr Gerard angry?" Caroline asked gently.

Sophie nodded, "Marcel felt like Klaus had betrayed him. They were partners and Klaus threw him aside. Marcel wasn't going to stand for that."

"So, Mr Mikaelson told Mr Gerard he was done and he wanted nothing more to do with his criminal activities?"

"That's what I just said." Sophie sighed, "Marcel never understood why Klaus would throw away everything he worked for because of his family."

"Was Marcel a violent man, Sophie?" Caroline asked, using her first name to sound less harsh.

"I don't understand."

"Did he ever hit you?" Caroline asked, her eyes focused on Sophie's reaction.

There was a scraping of a chair against the floor, "Objection, your honour!" Tyler cut in.

Ric turned to Caroline, "Miss Forbes I fail to see the point in this line of questioning."

"I apologize. I retract my question." Caroline said, "Miss Deveraux, I have it on record that Mr Gerard was arrested by the police a few days later and then released without charge after a few hours. Did he mention this to you?"

"Yes." Sophie replied firmly.

Caroline nodded, "What did he say?"

"He was talking about being offered a deal, the police would drop the case against him if he helped them catch Klaus Mikaelson."

Caroline smiled, that was what she was waiting for. She turned away from Sophie to face the jury again, "That's interesting. How the police were willing to let a criminal go free in order to set up another one. Perhaps it shouldn't be the defendant on trial but our own law enforcement? This all seems to be pointing to a case of police corruption stemming from a personal vendetta against my client."

"Miss Forbes…" Ric said, his tone held warning.

"No further questions, your honour."

She took her seat with a small sense of glee as she waited for Tyler to start his cross examination. Even he couldn't win this round and judging by the look on his face, Tyler realised this. Caroline's eyes met Klaus' for the first time since the start of the trial. There was a look of love and pride on his face, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

/

"Mr Salvatore, can you tell us how you found yourself back in Chicago after all this time?" Caroline asked Stefan who had taken Sophie's place in the witness stand. He looked a lot more at ease there than she did but Caroline guessed that was because it was better than being where Klaus stood right now. A position Stefan himself had stood in before. Tyler's cross examination of Sophie was short lived and desperate. He didn't anticipate Caroline's line of questioning as so didn't have a counter argument ready. The jury saw his anxiety even though Tyler tried to hide it, Caroline could see from the look of determination on his face that he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Stefan cleared his throat before answering her question, "Klaus phoned me and asked for my help."

"Why did he need your help?"

"Marcel was blackmailing him into getting back into the weapons dealing. Klaus knew he had no choice because he wasn't willing to risk his family, Marcel said if Klaus did this last job he would let him walk away." Stefan explained, folding his hands into his lap, "Klaus didn't trust Marcel though so he called me in, he wanted someone he could rely on."

Caroline nodded, "Did Mr Mikaelson say what Marcel wanted him to do?"

"He wanted Klaus to head the delivery shipment, make sure the weapons arrived and were sold properly."

"What did Marcel say what would happen if Klaus failed to do this?" Caroline pressed, she needed the jury to see what Marcel was capable of as they would have a better opinion of Klaus. It was a long shot but it was the only one she had.

Stefan sighed, looking over at Klaus, "Marcel threated to hurt Klaus' family, his son. He had someone watching them while Klaus was inside. Marcel knew exactly how to get to Klaus and manipulate him."

"Marcel was a ruthless man." Caroline concluded.

"That's putting it nicely," Stefan replied, "He loved his games. He even had Klaus beaten up as a way to teach him a lesson on betrayal. Marcel wanted Klaus back, no matter what the cost was to anyone else."

Caroline sighed, "Thank you Mr Salvatore. No further questions."

She took her seat once more, noticing Damon had snuck into the room, sitting next to Elijah. Tyler got up and walked over to Stefan, papers in his hand.

"Mr Salvatore, how long would you say you've known the defendant?" He asked breezily, beginning his cross examination of Stefan.

"10 years."

Tyler nodded, " So you are close then? You would class the defendant as a friend?"

"I would." Stefan replied cautiously, not sure where Tyler was heading. Caroline sat up right, unsure of Tyler's questioning as well.

"So is it fair to say that you would lie to protect your friend, Mr Salvatore?"

Stefan frowned, "Not on oath. I swore to tell the truth and that's what I am doing."

"Yet you were arrested for the same crime Mr Mikaelson is being tried for. So would we be idiots to take a criminal at his word?" Tyler mused.

Caroline frowned, "Objection, your honour! The witness isn't on trial here."

Ric nodded, "Mr Lockwood, if you have a question pertaining to this case then ask it."

"Mr Salvatore, you met the defendant whilst undertaking your own criminal activities, is that correct?" Tyler asked.

"I was never charged." Stefan pointed out.

Tyler nodded, "Your brother represented you and managed to convince the jury of your innocence."

"Mr Lockwood, I won't tell you again." Ric said, his patience clearly wearing thin.

"I apologize." Tyler said, "My point, Mr Salvatore, is perhaps what your brother did for you is the same thing my colleague is doing for Mr Mikaelson. Would do you think of that?"

Stefan swallowed thickly, his eyes meeting Caroline's for a moment, "I think that's ridiculous."

Tyler smirked then and Caroline felt dread wash over her at this line of questioning.

"Mr Salvatore, perhaps you can fill the jury in on who Miss Forbes is to the defendant?" Tyler asked.

Caroline froze then, the question was valid but it was seedy and not professional. Tyler was really clutching at straws with that question and they both knew it.

Stefan looked worried, his eyes darting from Klaus to Caroline, not wanting to give an answer.

"You are under oath, Mr Salvatore." Tyler pressed.

Stefan sighed, "She is the mother of his child. They are in a relationship."

"I see." Tyler said, "So it would be fair to say that Miss Forbes is painting a very lovely but very inaccurate picture of the defendant, willing to blame anyone else from a man who can't be here to make his own defence to our own police force, so she can save her own family."

Caroline couldn't speak, all eyes of the jury on her. Ric was focused enough though, calling the court to order with a harsh voice, "Let's take a break. This court will start again in one hour." He replied, standing up from his chair.

Caroline gave him a grateful look but she would need a miracle to get Klaus out of this mess now.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene? Let me know!

Please review they mean the world to me and we are nearly at the end now!

Thank you!

Next time we have desperate times call for desperate measures as Caroline comes to a risky conclusion on how to save Klaus.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: One more chapter left after this one! It's been an amazing ride so thank you all! This chapter is for you!

/

Caroline stormed into the first empty room she could find as soon as she left court, Damon and Elijah were right behind her and Caroline didn't need eyes in the back of her head to know the looks of concern etched into their features was reflected in her own. Tyler's tactics were below the line for sure but no one could take it back now, Caroline knew if there was any hope left for their defence she needed to put the focus back on the case rather than the relationship between her and Klaus.

Damon was the first to speak, the defeat evident in his tone, "We're going to lose this case." He sighed, his eyes not meeting anyone in the room.

"We're not giving up, there has to be something we can do. Something we haven't tried. I won't let Mikael win in destroying this family." Elijah replied, his voice hard.

"It's already over, Elijah. Tyler's prosecution of Stefan made sure of that, a jury won't trust us now. If they don't trust us then there is no way in hell of convincing them Klaus is innocent."

"Damon's right." Caroline spoke for the first time since entering the room, her voice caused both men to look over at her in shock.

Elijah's eyes widened, "Caroline…"

She cut him off, "He is right, the jury won't trust us over that outburst and our case was weak to start with."

"You are the most stubborn person I know." Elijah replied, walking towards, "I am begging you not to give up on my brother."

Caroline gave him a small smile, "I've never given up on him before, why would I start now?"

"Great, we're all staying on the suicide mission of trying to keep Klaus out of jail." Damon commented drily, "That's what it is. Suicide, there is no way a jury will believe anything you say in court anymore. You're the bad guy for lying to them about your relationship with Klaus."

Caroline nodded, "You're right, the jury won't trust anything I say but what if I wasn't the one saying it?"

"What do you mean?" Elijah asked, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

"They think the defence is the bad guys, right? I say we show them someone worse." Caroline explained.

Damon frowned, "Who?"

"Mikael." The blonde replied, releasing the breath she was holding, "If I call him as a witness and expose his plan for Klaus the jury will have to believe it."

"That will never work, you need evidence." Damon pointed out.

Caroline shook her head, "His confession will be my evidence."

"My father is cunning, Caroline. He won't spill his secrets because you ask him too." Elijah sighed wistfully.

"I don't need his secrets, I just need him to slip up once while he is on the stand. I can pick his story apart and leave the jury doubting his part in all of this." Caroline replied, folding her arms across her chest. This was their last hope and she would be damned if she was going down without a fight.

Elijah blinked once, "He is at the top of his game, and he has every police officer in Chicago behind him. Caroline, I have every faith in your abilities as a lawyer but Mikael isn't the kind of man who can be tricked."

"Any other time and you would be right, Elijah, but this is Klaus. If there is one thing Mikael hates the most it's Klaus, he is on edge and that's the best time to get to him. All I need to do is get him angry enough to say something he will regret."

Damon cut it then, "It's a risky plan, Blondie."

"It's the only one we've got."

/

Ric called court to order, the air considerably thicker than it had been at the start of the trial but Caroline ignored it and the glares from the jury bench. She had a job to do. Once Ric was done briefing everyone he turned to Caroline and asked if there was anything else she wanted to add.

"I'd like to call Mikael Mikaelson to the stands, your honour." She said in a voice that was crystal clear. She could sense Klaus' eyes boring into her skull, trying to figure out what she was doing but she tuned it out. Focusing on the shocked look on Mikael's face from where he sat in the gallery.

Ric allowed the last minute witness and Mikael was left with no choice but to take to the witness stand, his eyes narrowing on Caroline considerably as he was sworn in and took his seat.

"Mr Mikaelson, you were the arresting officer on the case we are discussing, is that correct?" Caroline asked.

"Yes." Mikael's answer was short and cold just as she assumed it would be.

"And the defendant is in fact your son?"

Mikael seem to grimace at the thought, "Technically although there is no love lost between us."

Caroline nodded, "I think it would be fair to say you hate your son, you don't even like to refer to him as such."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Mikael asked and Caroline had to hold back a smile at the defensiveness of his tone. His anger was already growing.

"I'm establishing your relationship for the jury, Mr Mikaelson, so they understand what led to the events of you arresting your own blood." Caroline replied, her eyes narrowing. "You also arrested the defendant the first time, right? When he was sentenced to five years in prison?"

"Yes."

"Interesting how you were involved in both cases even though they directly involved your son." Caroline commented.

Mikael practically sneered, "Klaus is a dangerous man. I know this, I felt it was my responsibility to keep the people of this city safe from him."

Caroline nodded, "No matter what the cost?"

"I upheld the law, Miss Forbes." Mikael replied, "Klaus is a terrible person, one I suppose I am partly responsible for making. The law was always going to catch up to people like him."

"So you don't believe people can change?"

Mikael laughed, "Change? Him? He has always been a disappointment. A screw up. You should be careful what you bring home at night. He has a tendency to hurt the people he claims to care about."

Caroline took one brief glance at Klaus, his eyes hard, the mask of his Hybrid self in place. She hated what this was doing to him but this was the only way he was going to be free, to stay with her and Liam and she knew in the long run this is what he would want.

"A few weeks before the defendant's arrest you also brought Marcel Gerard into custody. Why?" She asked approaching the bench.

"We thought he was planning another job, that boy never was any good at keeping a low profile." Mikael replied.

Caroline paused for a moment before speaking, "Do you know what I think happened?"

"Enlighten me."

"I think Marcel wanted Klaus back. I think you wanted Klaus out the way and from that you both came up with a way to get what you wanted." Caroline said, her voice quick and accusing, "You wanted Klaus to suffer, you hate your own son so much that you need to strip away every chance he gets at happiness. Marcel was falling apart with him, the business they had set up was failing and he needed Klaus' help."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mikael replied calmly.

Caroline smiled, "Yes, you do. You gave Marcel an offer, the same offer Sophie Deveraux mentioned earlier. A chance for Marcel to wipe his slate clean and all he had to do in return was set Klaus up for you."

Mikael lost his smirk, looking increasingly more worried as Caroline's tone grew in strength and volume.

"Klaus wasn't just going to get right back into everything again and you both knew it so Marcel came up with a new plan. One that would guarantee Klaus would help him, he threatened his family. Klaus only has one weakness and that's the few people he cares about. Marcel knew that, they had worked together long enough for him to know just how to manipulate Klaus. Marcel left him with no choice but to help him."

"It's his own fault." Mikael shouted, "A monster like that doesn't deserve a family."

Caroline stopped short, that was the breaking point, "And you wanted to make sure he never got the chance."

"I did this city a favour." Mikael insisted.

"Marcel told you about the deal and you made sure you caught them right in the middle of it, leaving no doubt in anyone's mind that Klaus was guilty." Caroline finished.

"He is guilty."

"He was forced." Caroline corrected, "And that's a question for the jury. Is forced and guilty the same thing? The defendant was a man trying to protect his family at all costs when our own police officer was out to get him. It was an impossible situation but that doesn't make him guilty of anything more than trying to clean up a mess he made a long time ago."

/

Waiting for the jury to come back with a verdict was the most painful moment of Caroline's life and she had been through childbirth. They were taking hours to decide but Caroline expected as much, it was a difficult case, there was no straight cut and run about it. In the end it came down to family, to bloodlines and she could only hope the jury cared as much about that as she did.

Elijah occupied the seat at the table next to her, his hand holding hers to try and calm her nerves even though they both knew it wasn't doing any good. It felt nice though; familiar. His warm hand squeezing hers gently as a way of offering comfort. Elijah was never good at expressing it but Caroline found out a simple action of his hand on her shoulder was enough for her to understand what he was trying to say.

She didn't want to think about what would happen if they failed, if Klaus was put back in prison. She didn't think she would cope, Caroline barely held on the last time and if it wasn't for Elijah and Rebekah she would have fallen off the edge. Then there was Liam, he had just got used to having his dad back, Caroline didn't want to imagine the look on his face if she had to tell him Klaus was gone again.

Mikael would still get off with as much as a slap on the wrist. There wasn't any concrete evidence to try him in court but at the very least at investigation would be launched into the accusations that were uncovered today and she could only hope he would get what's coming to him.

After what felt like a lifetime the jury re-entered the room and every stood up on their arrival. Caroline just wanted to yell at them to hurry up and say their verdict but a small part of her was too scared to hear.

"Has the jury reached a decision?" Ric asked calmly.

One man stood up, "We have, your honour."

"Which is?"

"Not guilty."

Caroline almost fainted. A huge smile broke out on her face as the relief course through her, she could feel Elijah pulling her into a hug and Damon's hand on her back but her eyes were looking over at Klaus. A smile was on his face, his blue eyes reflecting love and home at her as a guard worked on releasing him from his cuffs.

He mouthed a quick 'I love you' to her and Caroline returned the sentiment knowing that no matter what else happened she had Klaus and they were a family.

/

So what do you think? Thoughts/feelings?

Favourite line/scene?

Please review! Just the epilogue of sorts to go! Thanks so much!


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: Last one! Thanks for everything!

/

Caroline was a bundle of excitement as her and Elijah waited for Klaus outside the court, she could barely stand still, choosing to pace the same five steps as she combed a hand through her hair.

"Relax, you did it, Caroline." Elijah said softly, "He's coming home."

She smiled warmly at the eldest Mikaelson, "I know, I just… it doesn't seem real right now. I thought for sure we'd lost the case."

"I never doubted you for a second."

The door to their right creaked open causing both of them to snap their heads to that direction. Klaus walked towards them with confidence, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as his eyes met Caroline. She gave him a loving smile, a small giggle escaping her lips as she rushed towards him.

Caroline threw herself into Klaus' arms and he caught her easily, holding her close to him as he buried his nose into her hair. She inhaled Klaus' scent, that musky woodland smell that seemed to be unique to him, clutching the lapels of his jacket tighter.

"You're home." She whispered into his ear, a smile curving her mouth.

Klaus let out a breath, "You're remarkable."

She pulled back slightly to see his face, making sure to stay in the comfort of his arms, "You say that like you are surprised."

"Not surprised, just proud." He smirked.

"Liam is going to be so happy, he has made so many pictures for you." Caroline smiled.

"We should go and collect him." Klaus nodded as he loosened the tie around his neck, "Thank you for bringing me home, sweetheart."

Caroline pecked his lips, "That's what I'm here for."

Their lips joined together, mouths moving in sync as Klaus deepened the kiss. Neither cared about the people walking past them or Elijah who was standing to the side uncomfortably. When the kiss ended both were breathing hard and looking only to each other. Caroline could feel herself getting lost in the love and passion reflected in Klaus' eyes.

"Marry me?" he uttered the words so fast Caroline almost thought she had heard them wrong.

She pulled back, "What?"

Klaus pulled her back in, "Will you marry me?"

"Aren't you meant to buy a ring or something?" She questioned with a coy smile.

"Okay maybe I wasn't planning to say it like that but I meant it Caroline, marry me."

She smiled, her hands moving to his face as she whispered her reply, "Always."

/

Damon was perched on the hood of his car as Stefan left the courtroom a few weeks later, a smirk on his face as he folded his arms over his chest. Stefan made a beeline for him, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I guess I owe you a thank you." He began, "That jury would have eaten me alive if it wasn't for you."

Damon shrugged, "No worries, little brother. That's my job."

"You're a good lawyer, Damon. Dad would have been proud of you."

"I wasn't talking about being a lawyer. My job is looking after you, Stefan." Damon explained, a hand on Stefan's arm.

Stefan nodded, "You know I'm not a little kid, right? I'm not your responsibility."

"Maybe I like helping you. We might be a screwed up family but we're still blood. That still means something, even after everything we've been through."

"So what now?" Stefan asked, the court had declared him a free man and for the first time in a long time he didn't know what to do.

Damon smiled, "Well, you're off the hook. I picked this up for you in case you weren't sticking around." He produced a passport from his jacket pocket and handed it to Stefan.

"I should go. Klaus is rebuilding his life with Caroline and I haven't called this town home in a very long time. I guess I just don't fit." Stefan sighed.

"I hear Italy is lovely this time of year." Damon replied, "Great wine and food. Definitely worth a visit."

Stefan looked at his brother with a smirk of his own, "Yeah, let's see were us Salvatore's come from."

"Want some company?" Damon asked as he pulled another passport out of his pocket, "I get it if you want to be by yourself but I thought what better way to start over than a road trip, right?"

"Aren't you a hot shot lawyer or something?" Stefan laughed.

Damon nodded, "I took some time off, and a break will do me good. Elijah and Caroline can manage for a couple of months." He smiled then, "So what do you say? Brothers?"

Stefan paused for a moment, his eyes searching Damon's before a smile formed on his face, "Brothers." He nodded before enveloping Damon in a hug. Damon returned it, patting Stefan on the back, "Thank you for not giving up on me, brother." He heard Stefan whisper before they pulled away.

"I'm driving. My car's a classic." Damon replied motioning to the light blue car behind him.

Stefan nodded, "I pick the music." He replied before walking over to the passenger side with a smile.

/

They made it to Rebekah's in record time, Caroline driving as Klaus simply stared at her, taking in her beauty like a starving man as he keep a hand locked with hers. He was home, finally and properly home with a family and a son and the woman he loved who had agreed to be his wife.

Liam barrelled at Klaus the moment he saw his father, the little boy's face lighting up like a Christmas tree as Klaus scooped him up into his arms and held him close.

"Dad! You're back!" He exclaimed gleefully.

Klaus smiled, "For good now, no more work stuff." He nodded.

"Can we go and get a tree for Christmas?" Liam asked, his eyes wide.

"Whatever you want, son."

"And we need an Angel. Angels go at the top of the tree." He rambled and Klaus smiled, listening to the sound of Liam's voice as he talked about things they needed to have on their tree.

Caroline took him out to the car, the little boy exhausted after a fun day with his Aunt. Klaus knew she was giving him and Rebekah time to talk.

The blonde sighed, "Nik…"

"Don't." Klaus cut her off, "I don't get why you did it, Rebekah, but I know you had your reasons. You didn't know what was going to happen to me or to Caroline and you have been nothing but a good Aunt to Liam."

"I wish I could do things differently." She sighed.

"I got my family back, that's the main thing." Klaus replied, "You will always be my family, Rebekah. It might take time but we'll get there."

Rebekah nodded, "Why are you being so understanding?"

"Caroline and Elijah are right. Family meaning everything. It was the reason Mikael and Marcel couldn't destroy us and it's the reason Liam is happy."

"You have a beautiful family, Nik. You deserve it."

Klaus smiled before pulling Rebekah into a hug, "I would have nothing without you and Elijah. I messed up a lot but you two taught me everything about family."

"Caroline taught you how to love, Nik. Without that you would still be the man everyone feared." Rebekah replied, her eyes searching his, "Don't lose sight of that."

"Never." Klaus vowed, "They are my light."

/

So we finished! Its been amazing and I would love to hear your thoughts and feelings!

Review? One last time? It would mean the world to me!

Thanks for everything!


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